The Future to Look Forward to
by FrillingFreak
Summary: SEQUEL to SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. The time has come for paths to cross again but can they stand against the wave of anger that wishes to push them apart? Only if they stand together. SasSak slight NaruHina BACK ON!
1. Life as we know it

**Welcome everyone to the long awaited sequel to Something to Look Forward to. To those who haven't read that story, you probably should do that first. But don't worry it's just a OneShot so it won't take long. Now I realize, for those who have read my other story, that the style of this one isn't the same as the first one. Don't worry, I pick that style back up in the second chapter. This chapter is just sort of an introduction and explanation of what's happened over the past couple of years. It's a rather melancholy mood to start out with. I didn't even realize it until I was re-reading it to look for mistakes. **

**Oh, if you find a mistake please point it out to me. I went back and read Something the other day just for references and I found several mistakes. I actually like people to tell me so I can fix them and not look like an idot!**

**The story will be from Sakura's point of view to start out with and may not switch to Sasuke's for a while. Sorry if that upsets you!**

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**I don't own Naruto! I only own my brain and the things that come out of it!**

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**Chapter 1**

**Life as we know it.**

The day was pleasantly warm with the first kisses of summer sun while the breeze was cool and crisp with the last embrace of winter as the young medic nin stepped from the doors of Konoha Hospital into the open air. It had been a grueling day at work but on the whole, satisfying. Everyone brought in had been saved and many had been released into the caring arms of their families and friends. It was days like this in which the pink haired girl could rejoice in her work, days in which she could celebrate saving lives and not losing them.

The small yellow and white flowers smiled cheerfully at her as she passed and a small breeze brought the sound of voices from around the village to rest in her ears. The year had been a lazy one so far and promised to remain that way, but Haruno Sakura didn't mind at all. She enjoyed the peace, enjoyed watching the village children play, their mind void of worries. Perhaps she would go by the park today and watch them play. Their sweet innocence would the perfect ending to a wonderful day. They reminded her of her younger years, when things were simpler and life was black and white. Sometimes she and Ino would go to the park and watch the children together, remembering what it was like to be young. She had tried taking Naruto once but he had just started fighting with the children over some stupid game.

She watched a family walking through the market, stopping occasionally to browse through one of the many stalls. The older sister held a coveted apple high up in the air out of reach of a fuming little brother. The two fought nosily for several minutes before the mother intervened with another apple for the boy. He took great pride in waving the shiny red orb in his sister's face before slowly sinking his teeth into his prize.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at their antics. It was scenes like these that made being put in life or death situations worth it. Whenever she would be in a tight spot out in the field all she had to do was picture all the smiling faces, peaceful days, and happy times in Konoha and she would find the strength to pull through victorious.

The past few years had been tough on the young medic and everyone else, for that matter. As ninjas they had been forced to grow up faster then was probably good for their still developing psyche and, as a result, many broke under the extreme pressure. But those who did persevere could stand proudly and call themselves Konoha's elite.

Time had seemed to pass slowly then, but looking back, it was just a flash in the window of her mind. Everything had changed so much over time too. Not obvious, in-your-face, changes, but subtle, slow changes- the kind that were only noticed in retrospect. Things like how she and Ino had gradually built their relationship back up to what it had once been. They still bickered from time to time but that was due to their personalities and even when they did fight there was no animosity in it, only friendly confrontation. Or like how Hinata had grown over the years and gained self-confidence. Her fighting skills had increased slowly but surely making her- in the present- an adversary not to be taken lightly. Though she still stuttered when in close proximity of a certain blonde haired boy who had only recently began to notice her pretty eyes and shy smile. And being Naruto, he had no idea what to do with this new discovery of his, but knowing Hinata, she would wait for him to figure it out.

Neji, Shino, Sakura, and Naruto were all Jounin now. The others were all Chuunin and due to take the Jounin in the next month. Sakura had faith that they would all pass with flying colors, even Shikamaru who thought the whole thing was "troublesome." Sakura was looking forward to being able to have a genin team of her own in a couple of years. She knew that the community viewed her generation to be the overall strongest to come out of the academy in a long time and she therefore expected the next generation to be even stronger. Of course there was the missing member of the Rookie Nine who may even be the strongest of them all. It was ironic, here he was as strong as- if not stronger- than the underdog who dreamed of being Hokage turned veritable power house and yet he was still a genin. Well technically, he was a missing nin but to her but he was more of a wandering nin; wandering the country side until it was time to come home.

And as far as they knew, he was a wanderer since _that_ incident.

It had happened almost three years after he had left to join Orochimaru and the fear that the Snake Sannin would try and take over his body had closed slowly around the young kunoichi's heart. A chance piece of information had given them the location of Hidden Village of Sound and hence a large battalion of shinobi was sent off to take care of the "threat to the safety of the village of Konaha." Of course Sakura and Naruto had been among them. Even if the Hokage hadn't assigned them to this mission, they still would have gone. Nothing in the world could have kept them away.

But what they found when they got there had not been what they had expected. Bloodied bodies littered the grounds outside the complex causing an uneasy feeling tot swell up in the pit of all their stomachs. What was even more unnerving was the fact that all the bodies bore the symbol of the Sound and there was no sign of who had attacked them.

"What the hell happened here?" Naruto hissed. Sakura and the others could only shake their heads in response. Inside all Sakura could do was hope and pray that whoever had gotten to these men and women hadn't gotten to Sasuke.

As the group slowly and cautiously traveled deeper and deeper into the maze that was Sound's headquarters, they found only one thing; more dead bodies. An eerie silence enveloped them as they checked body after body hoping to find some sign of life if only to uncover what had happened here.

Then, from down one of the numerous dark halls, appeared a leaf nin, whose name escaped Sakura at the time.

"We found something you need to see." Was all the ninja said before motioning for them to follow him down the hall he had just come from. They followed wordlessly, the air too tense for conversation or questions. He led them down several corridors until they reached a set of massive doors which obviously lead to the compound's center. What awaited them beyond the doors was not what they expected.

Sakura took a few cautious steps into the room, quickly surveying the situation. When her eyes trailed over the far center of the room, what she saw caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Naruto, who had been walking in behind her, gave a slight cry when he ran into her but was silenced when he caught sight of what was in front of her.

"Orochimaru?" Naruto gasped as he took in the mangled heap of limbs and the all too familiar face that stared blankly back at them. "What the hell happened here?" Boy, Naruto sure was repetitive today.

A noise in the corner caught their attention and they turned to find a group of Konoha nin surrounding someone lying on the ground. As they approached, their fellow nin stepped aside to allow them through.

"Kabuto." Naruto hissed at the sight of medic nin. Orochimaru's right hand man lay in a heap on the floor, his body torn and bleeding. Death was not far off for this nin either.

"What happened here?" Naruto demanded gruffly, not caring that Kabuto was in pain. "Where is Sasuke?"

"Where is Sasuke?" Kabuto chuckled softly. "Well I'm not sure. Last time I saw him, he was rather busy fighting."

"Fighting?" Sakura interrupted. "Sasuke was involved in all this?" She asked motioning to all the dead bodies.

"Involved? He started it." Kabuto sneered with disgust. "The little traitor planned the whole thing."

"You mean Sasuke did this?" Naruto asked flabbergasted. "He turned against Orochimaru?"

"The bastard led a revolt." Kabuto hissed as coughing fit overcame him, blood trickling from his lips. Behind them Kakashi let out a low whistle.

"Looks like Sasuke didn't like the idea of becoming Orochimaru's new container." He said.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered under her breathe as a small smile formed on her lips. _I knew you would never go through with this._

"Where did he go?" Naruto demanded getting down in the dying man's face. "Where did Sasuke go?"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you." Kabuto replied with venom. Naruto had snarled in response and threatened all sorts of pain and torture if Kabuto wouldn't tell him everything he knew. Not that it did much good, because the medic nin died not to long after that. Under orders from the Hokage, they burned the entire village to the ground, bodies and all. So was the end of Orochimaru and the Sound.

Sakura had been so relieved to know that Sasuke was no longer with the snake sannin that for a few days she hadn't cared that they had no clue where he and the other Sound traitors had disappeared to. Then the initial relief had worn off and a new sort of worry had settled into her bones.

Where was Sasuke? Had something happened to him? Was he hurt and dying somewhere? Had he decided he didn't want to come back to Konoha and back to her after all? He had said he would come when he had … oh, that was right, Itachi was still out there. Therefore Sasuke was still out there looking for him. Still training, growing stronger, and fighting for the day he would kill his brother and avenge his family. And then he would come home, then he would return to her.

So now a little over a year later, she waited like she always had. She didn't mind really. Sure she worried about him night and day and wanted each day to be the day he would appear but she was just grateful that she had the promise that he would return. And Uchiha Sasuke always kept his promises.

Sakura sat on a limb in a tree at the edge of the park listening to the last laughter of children as they said their goodbyes and returned to their homes and families. Before her eyes the sky turned various shades of pink and orange as the sun painted it's fair well. Nature's beauty never ceased to amaze her.

She sighed softly as she landed lightly on the ground and started for home. The villager's waved and smiled at her as she passed. She smiled back and called out in greeting but her mind was elsewhere.

_Almost five years,_ She thought to herself. _It's been almost five years and since Sasuke-kun left and over two years since I saw him in the woods that time. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait._

She had never told anyone about their meeting that day. They either wouldn't believe her or get mad at her for not trying to bring him back. Not even Naruto knew, though she felt horrible for keeping it from him. He was, after all, Sasuke's best friend.

Now whenever she went out of the village on a mission, a secret part of her hoped and prayed to see him again but no such luck. She would just have to wait for him to seek her out. Wait, and hope and pray.

The last rays of sunlight shot out over the horizon as Sakura entered her apartment for the night. A breeze floated gentled down the village streets, stopping to play with the tree in her front yard before continuing on through the forest, out of the village and onward until it reached a lonely field in the far off distance.

The same breeze that had danced among Konoha's blossoms swept over bloodied ground that was littered with weapons and bodies until it met up with a lone figure standing at the far end of the field. Upon meeting this obstruction, the wind hissed and rushed to get around the man. A pair of blood red eyes stared blankly forward, giving no hint of the emotions that raged inside the body.

A small form appeared silently at the man's side and stood watching and waiting for recognition.

"It's over." A husky voice broke the silence. "It's finally over." The smaller figure simply stood silent, still watching. The taller figure seemed to break out of his long reverie and turned to look at his small companion. His eyes slowly shifted from red to coal black.

"Go get our things." He commanded softly. "You know where to meet me."

The small figure only nodded in response before disappearing from his side. He stood a moment looking at the space that his companion had previously occupied before turning to look at something lying on the ground in front of him.

"Now to take you home." He said as he picked up the bloody body and placed it carefully over his shoulder. "Won't everyone be so surprised to see us, brother?"

And so he disappeared into the night as the first stars began to blink into sight.

Life as we know it was about to be turned upside down.

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**Woot! Chapter One is all done baby! Tell me what you think and send any questions you have my way. I'll do my best to answer them!**

**I love hearing from my readers!**

**FrillingFreak**


	2. Sunset for Normality

**Welcome back everyone! I just wanted to thank all my reviewers for their encouraging words especially Melissa, aka the cousin of invisible1withnofaith. You're emails have inspired me to write faster! **

**As far as updates go, don't expect more than one a week. In fact, you'll be lucky to get that. I have a very hetic life and though I love writing and I love my readers, I have to put my school work first. The other problem is I have no idea where I'm going to take this story in the far off future. I have some basic ideas of a few things I want to happen but no main plot so to speak of. I'm mulling over a few ideas in my head but I'll have to see. If you have any ideas please send them my way! **

_Explaining the timeline: At the start of the show, all of the genin are said to be 12. I figured that enough time passed between the beginning of the show and when Sasuke left for them to be thirteen (If I'm wrong correct me please.). My sources say Sakura's birthday is March 28th and Sasuke's is July 23rd. This story starts at the beginning of spring, March, almost five years later so- assuming Sasuke is older than Sakura- he's eighteen and she's seventeen. If I have any of that wrong please correct me, this was just what I could put together from the show and information on the web._

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**Chapter 2**

**Sunset for Normality**

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The first rays of morning light found Haruno Sakura still sound asleep in her bed. As the light outside began to grow brighter, the young woman slowly roused from her slumber and yawned contentedly. She got out of bed and, after stretching, began to get ready for the day ahead. As she busied herself with the usual morning activities, she began to compose a mental list of what needed to been done today. 

_Let's see, I need to check on my patients from yesterday and see if there are any new patients._ Sakura added to her list as she made the bed. _I also need to go shopping; the kitchen shelves are looking a little bare. But I feel like I'm missing something. What could it be?_

Sakura looking searchingly around the room as if to find her answer hidden in one of the corners. But whatever it was, she couldn't seem to remember. _I guess it'll come to me later._

And so she headed off to work, ignoring the odd feeling in the back of her mind that said something was wrong, that something in the air that smelled of approaching turmoil. Sakura really should learn to pay more attention to her instincts.

The work day started off like any other day at work; checking on patients, chatting with the staff, waking up a drunken Tsunade. Then she had to fend off declarations of undying love thrown at her from Rock Lee, which was harder then it sounded- those kisses he liked to blow at her were sneaky little devils and quite sticky. But it was all in a day's work for one Haruno Sakura.

When noon rolled around, Sakura headed outside with her bento to eat in the fresh clean air. She selected a luscious space of grass under a tall shade tree not to far from the hospital but far enough to be away from the noise and settled down to eat in peace. To bad a certain loudmouth blonde had other plans.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Hollered a voice, disturbing the quiet and sending several birds into flight.

"Naruto," Sakura sighed as a blur of orange came into view. Though many things had changed over the years, Naruto had been the one constant. Sure he had gotten taller and filled out and occasionally, _occasionally, _he would have a moment of maturity and amaze them all- and that happened about as often as Kakashi actually being on time- but the rest of the time, he was still the same old Naruto; loud, oblivious, hyper active, a tad on the crude side, but always caring, protective and determined.

"I'm back Sakura-chan!" Naruto announced as he approached her.

"Obviously." Sakura remarked with smirk. "I think the whole village knows after that entrance."

"I bet their shaking in their boots with glee." Naruto said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a tinge of pain.

"Well, I'm glad you're back." Sakura smiled kindly at him. "Things seem a bit dull when you're not around to cheer up everyone."

"It's my goal in life." Naruto said taking the "good guy" pose. "Right after becoming Hokage."

"Join me for lunch?" Sakura asked offering up the remains of her food and motioning for him to have a seat. When it comes to food, no one has to tell Naruto "eat" twice. In fact, most of the time they don't even have to tell him once.

"All right!" Naruto declared with gusto as he plopped down and basically inhaled the food. Sakura kept her hand ready to pound on his back should he decided to choke suddenly and need a little "pat."

"Was your mission a success?" Sakura asked.

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed around a mouthful of food. "Look who you're talking to!"

"You'll have to tell me about it tonight." Sakura said as she got up and began to brush herself off. "Right now, I have to get back to work."

"What's tonight?" Naruto asked with a blank expression.

"Naruto." Sakura said in a voice so sweet it was scary. "You couldn't have forgotten about our dinner tonight with the whole gang. We've been planning it for months now."

"Oh that!" Naruto covered hastily putting a hand behind his head and grinning sheepishly. "Of course I remember all about that!"

"Good." Sakura huffed as she turned to leave.

"Um, Sakura?" She stopped in mid step and looked over her shoulder at the blonde. "Where was that thing gonna be at again?"

"Naruto!" Sakura growled as she cracked her knuckles. Really, somebody needs to get that boy a secretary before he is seriously injured and I'm quite sure there's a certain pale-eyed girl who would be more than happy to fill the position.

That evening found the original "Rookie Nine" (minus one, obviously) plus team Gai crowed around a large table in a popular restaurant. They had finished eating by now and were just enjoying catching up with everyone. Kiba was in the middle of telling yet another animated story about one of his missions while Naruto and Lee listened captivated by his every word. At one point during the story, Naruto turned to Hinata to verify if whether or not Kiba was telling the truth. Everyone present thought she was going to faint when he beamed happily at her quiet response.

"See, I knew you were lying!" Naruto shouted at Kiba with triumph.

"I am not!" Kiba retorted. "Hinata! You're supposed to be on MY side!"

"Sorry Kiba," Naruto replied slinging an arm over Hinata's shoulder. "I can always trust Hinata to tell me the truth because she's too nice to lie." At the sudden physical contact, poor Hinata turned a deep shade of cherry red and began to swoon.

"N-naruto-kun." She mumbled in shock.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at his pale-eyed friend. "Hinata! What's wrong? You're all red!" And he proceeded to check her temperature and fuss over her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Naruto-san." Neji said in his always impassive voice. Naruto looked up from what he was doing with a "huh?" expression written all over his face. Neji answered simply by shifting his gaze, causing Naruto to follow his eyes to find Neji staring at Naruto's hand, which had moved to grip Hinata's shoulder tightly in his need to assess her problem. Naruto looked at his hand. Naruto blinked. He looked at Hinata's red face. He blinked again. He looked at his hand, another blink. Then something in that thick skull of his clicked and he pulled his hand back with a sound that almost could be called a squeak as the slightest shade of pink spread across his cheeks.

There was a moment of silence before the entire table broke out into laughter- excluding Naruto and Hinata and of course Neji and Shino because they don't laugh, they just sat there and smirked.

"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded throwing his fist down onto the table with a loud bang.

"Took you long enough," Sakura managed to say through her laughter.

"It's too troublesome to explain." Shikamaru added from the end of the table. Naruto was about to retort when a young genin burst into the restaurant breathing heavily. All laughter ceased immediately as they all waited for the auburn haired boy to catch his breath and tell them what was wrong.

"They need you at the gate." He finally managed to get out.

"Who exactly?" Sakura asked for clarification.

"Everybody." He huffed. "They mentioned something called… Akatsuki and they sent-" But before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, the entire group had rushed out of the restaurant and toward the gate.

"Damn it." Naruto hissed as they sped over the roof tops.

Sakura looked at him worriedly, after all, he was what they were after.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled sensing her troubled gaze. "I'm not going to let those bastards set one foot inside Konoha and I'm sure as hell not going to die before I become Hokage." Sakura nodded and returned his smile before turning her concentration to the task ahead.

The sun had almost completely set when they reached the gates leaving behind a host of erie shadows to cloud their vision. There was already a host of shinobi at the gate and lining the walls when the arrived. Asuma- Ino, Shikamaru and Choji's former sensei- stepped forward and motioned them in his direction.

"A genin team spotted them on the way back from a mission." He began to explain before they could even open their mouths. "All they saw was a glimpse of the imfamous cloak before whoever it was disappeared, so we have no idea how many of them there are." They all nodded silently and spread out to wait. An uneasy feeling settled into the pitt of Sakura's stomach as she took a place close to Naruto where she would be able to keep an eye on him. She hated not knowing what was coming but she supposed she shold be grateful that they knew something was coming at all.

Just as Shino was preparing to send his bugs out to investigate, a lone figure appeared on the main road, his outline silohetted against the ever darkening sky. The all froze as the figure approached slowly, a heavy object slung over his shoulder. One last ray of sunlight glanced off the familiar red and black cloak and a head of dark messy hair that was hauntingly familiar though his face remianed shadowed.

"Itachi." Naruto growled. Instinctively Sakura placed herself between her friend and the brother of the man she loved.

So much for another normal day in Konoha.

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**Oooohhh! The tension builds! **

**It's time to review because you know that makes me happy! Speaking of reviews, I've decided Naruto fans are the freaking best! They review the socks off all other genre fans! ROCK ON NARUTO FANS!**

**FrillingFreak**


	3. Hey Honey

**Oh you people have no idea how lucky you are to be getting an update. I just found out I have a huge paper due in one of my classes in like two weeks so it might be a bit longer than usually before I can update. Sorry!**

**In other words, I think if my favorite chapter yet. Why you may ask? Because I was cackling like a mad man when I was re-reading it earlier for revisionary purposes. If an author can laugh at their own jokes then it's got to be funny. At least that's what I think.**

**I would also like to thank everyone for their encouraging reviews! I hope to hear from you again!**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

**Hey Honey.**

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The air grew thick with tension as the Konoha nin waited for the looming figure to make the first move. But said figure seemed to be enjoying their tension and took his sweet time in sauntering up the path. 

"What's he up to?" Shikamaru mumbled to himself. Sure it was well known that all members of Akatsuki were insanely strong but even then, walking up in plain view to one of the most powerful shinobi villages wasn't the smartest thing to do. Even an Akatsuki member would have problems achieving their objective against a group this large.

"Remember not to look into his eyes." A voice broke through his thoughts and he turned to find Maito Gai standing off to his side. "And keep your eyes peeled for that ultra weird fish friend of his."

"Kisame." Shikamaru informed him under his breath as Gai began to do a hundred squats on the spot while waiting. "His name is Kisame." Somethings were just lost on Gai-senei.

By now things were so tense you could cut the air with knife and serve it as the main dish in four course meal. Every little sound caused the younger shinobi to jump and even Sakura was working hard to control her breathing and not let her fear show. She watched Itachi closely as he walked toward them, head hung lazily. Something was bothering her about this whole situation. Something was off with him. His cape had been the first thing that had bothered her. It hung on him in an odd manner that she couldn't quite figure out. On closer inspection she realized it was because it was actually covering whatever it was slung over his shoulder and therefore partiallly covered his body to. And the only reason he would place his own cape over what he was carrying is if he didn't want them to figure out what it was just yet. Then there was something else that was off about that she couldn't as easily label. She had only seen the older Uchiha once before and that had been briefly but still, the way he held himself seemed wrong. The way he walked seemed… almost, familiar.

Then it clicked. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what, or better yet, _who_ she was looking at. Relief, excitement, and utter happiness flooded over her as a smile spread across her face. She allowed her body to relax and in one smooth movement, reholstered her kunai ,which , naturally, caught the attention of those in her immediate area.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?" Naruto asked in a worried tone.

Sakura, ignoring the blonde, took a step toward the man who was now dangerously close to them.

"Took you long enough." She said softly. By now she had everyone's attention. Worried and confused looks were flying all around her as everyone was desperately trying to figure out what was going on. They had to admit that it almost looked like she was in leauge with him, but Haruno-san would never betray Konoha. Not after all the heartache she went through with the younger Uchiha.

Their supposed attackor responded to her remark by disappearing breifly from sight and reappearing only inches away from the pink haired medic. This suddend act caused many of the shinobi to give a shout of surprise and several of the younger ones even fainted from all the excitement. Now really what were the genin still doing here? Just the sight of an Akatsuki member was enough to make any genin faint with fright much less one popping up in front of one of their superiors and going "boo!"

Well he didn't _exactly_ go "boo!" but it had the same effecct on everyone, but Sakura that is. Naruto immediately jumped to help her but was stopped when he tossed the bundle he had been carrying to the ground, blocking Naruto's way. Everyone except Sakura instinctly jumped back. When it didn't explode or cause mass chaos, they all peered catiously at it from a distance only to find the body of the man that, until a few seconds ago, they had thought to be attacking their beloved Konoha. In one simultaneous move, every head snapped up to find out who it really was that had appeared so omniously before their village. Let's just say the resulting shock left no jaw hinged.

There, nose to nose with Haruno Sakura, stood the one and only Uchiha Sasuke (They've actually considered cloning him and selling his clones for an outragous price to his rabid fan-girls in order to boost Konoha's depleted resources. Personally, I'm in line for a Gaara clone, but whatever floats your boat.)

"Like I said, it took you long enough." Sakura said with a cute pout.

"I was busy." Sasuke responded with his signature smirk before claiming Sakkura's lips in a kiss soo passionate that had Jiraiya been here, even he would have blushed.

As you can imagine, everyone was quite flabbergasted. Even Shikamaru's genius brain was more than a bit frazzled by this overload of … odd- for the lack of a better word,-information. After all it wasn't every day a village traitor waltzed up the gates with his dead brother, whom he more than likely killed, and started smooching with the girl whose heart he had broken years ago.

Even by the time Sasuke pulled back for some much needed oxygen, they still hadn't recovered, especially Naruto, who was currently sprawled on the ground twitching uncontrollably.

With a grunt Sasuke leaned down and picked up his brother's body once more and then, after lacing hands with Sakura, continued on into the village. Sakura followed wordlessly, the silliest grin in the history of… well, as far back as my memory goes- plastered all over her face. But can you blame her? She had just had the day and night kissed out of her by the man of her dreams (well, except for that one reaccuring dream of Lee, Naruto, Gai, and Kakashi dancing around in tutus to the Sugar Plum Fairy, but we won't go there).

They had gotten almost halfway through the village before anyone could put enough neurons together to react. And for once, it was actually Naruto who reacted first.

"TEME!" He shouted so loudly that it became known forever more as the shout that caused Kami-sama himself to fall out of bed in fright. Yeah, that's probably going come back and bite him in the arse. Because if Kami-sama doesn't get him, the shinobi who had been unfortunate enough to have been standing close by will.

When he shouted both Sasuke and Sakura instinctively moved to cover their ears which was hard to to seeing as 1. They were holding hands and 2. Sasuke was still carrying Itachi.

"Dobe" Sasuke grumbled angrily in response knowing good and well Naruto's "Sasuke senses" would make sure he heard him loud and clear.

"What do you expect?" Sakura asked. "We've had no idea where you've been for the past couple years and, as far as everyone else was concerned, you were never going to come back. An entrance like that was sure to cause general mayhem."

"Hn." Was all Sasuke had to say in response as he pulled her closer and continued on their way.

"You haven't changed much." Sakura observed dryly. Sasuke seemed to take this as a compliment and proceded to smirked his pretty little Uchiha face off.

"Don't act so pleased!" Sakura huffed and proceeded to punch Sasuke's arm playfully. Fortunately for Sasuke he had never been punched by Sakura before, whether playfully or not. Unfortunately for Sasuke, he was in no way prepared for the sheer power that even her lightest of tap contained and the always dignified Uchiha found himself trying desperately to stay on his feet which presented a comical picture for anyone watching. But thankfully, no one was or Sasuke would have made sure they wouldn't have lived to tell a soul.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried as she rushed to help steady him. In doing so, Sakura inadvertantly graded a rather tender spot on Sasuke's side causing him to hiss as pain shot through his body.

"Sasuke, why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Sakura asked. "How bad is it? Let me see."

"Not here Sakura." Sasuke said as he moved to continue.

"Well at least let me carry Itachi." Sakura said. Sasuke stopped short and gave her a "Are you crazy?" mixed with "I am a man, I know no pain." look.

"Sasuke." Sakura said sweetly. "Give. Me. The. Body. NOW."

Now Uchiha Sasuke had been in many a dangerous and all together frightening situations. Heck, he had lived with Orochimaru for almost three year, he was lucky to be sane! But never before in his oh-so-varied life had he know the fear that he felt that night as he was stared down by his beloved, kind, and caring Sakura with a look that threatened extreme physical and mental pain did he not comply with her every demand.

Things sure had changed around here.

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**Oh man, I out did myself here. I think this chapter was closer to the tone of Something to Look Forward to than the previous two. I just hope I can keep it up.**

**Please review! I love hearing what you think!**

**FrillingFreak**


	4. The Way Things Are

**Welcome back everyone! Sorry for the slightly longer wait but I've been incredibly busy. I'm running off little sleep, adrenaline, and caffine right now and I have a feeling that I'm going to crash very soon. But I wanted to get this out before I went to bed seeing as I'm going to be incredibly busy tomorrow with call backs for over five hours and then a wee bit of homework and hopefully get some laundry done. **

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I love you guys!**

**Oh, and I made a Sasuke/Sakura AMV if anyone would like to see it you can find it youtube on under the same name- FrillingFreak. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto you dork!**

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**Chapter 4**

**The way things are**

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Poor Naruto, there were just some things he would never quite get, like why jello jiggled or ramen always taste so good and especially, especially like what the hell just happened! Sasuke, the Uchiha Ssasuke whom he had been searching for, for over four years had just waltzed up to the village dead brother in tow and proceeded to stick his filthy Uchiha toungue down sweet little Sakura-chan's throat! 

By the time his brain had recovered from the shock, they were both gone. The first thing he had done was check to make sure it hadn't been an elaborate genjustsu used to trick him. Once he had established that what he had seen had indeed been real, he let loose a yell that shook the very walls of the city. And he could almost swear he heard Sasuke retort.

Now he stood, panting, in the door way the the Uchiha mansion's kitchen. Before him, Sasuke sat at the table, his shirt discarded so that Sakura could heal his wounds.

"Teme. (1)" Naruto growled as his fist instinctively clenched.

"Dobe.(2) " Sasuke replied impassively. "Took you long enough."

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto demanded. "After all you've done, you think you can just walk in here like you own the place?"

"Naruto." Sasuke said, his voice drippin with mock hurt. "And here I thought you wanted me to come back."

Naruto growled in frustration, not knowing how to respond. He was confused, nothing about this whole situation was making sense. He could already feel a headache begining to form in the center of his forhead. Naruto had never been that bright and even had he been, the current sittuation would have still been far beyond his comprehension. So in classic Naruto fashion, when his brain couldn't understand what was happening, he resorted to physical violence. With a loud shout of frustration he brought his fist down on the table top, sending the medical supplies Sakura had put on it flying through the air. The poor Uchiha kitchen table would never be the same again.

"Naruto." Sakura growled menacingly. "Just what are you trying to do? Pick a fight when Sasuke-kun is obviously wounded and in no condition to be doing anything but getting plenty of rest?"

"Hm, I could still beat him senseless." Sasuke huffed, not wanting to look like a coward hiding behind a woman.

"You." Sakura turned on him with a fire he wasn't used to seeing shining in her green eyes. "Will do nothing of the sort."

"Naruto." She said turning her attention back to the blonde. "Be useful and hand me those bandages so I can finish this."

"I don't understand what's going on!" Naruto whined as he did what he was told- he knew better than to get on Sakura's bad side. He then proceeded to sit down and glare at Sasuke.

"What made you decide to come back?" Naruto demanded after a moment of silence. "I thought you'd never want to see Konoha again."

"I never said I wasn't coming back, dobe." Sasuke replied with a smirk. "Besides there was something important here that belonged to me." Naruto was about to ask what when Sasuke reached out and took a lock of Sakura's pink hair in his hand and brought it to his lips in a chaste kiss. Sakura, who had been working on his wound this whole time, responded by blushing a pretty shade of pink and meeting his gaze with a shy smile. There was a moment of stunned silence before Naruto crashed to the floor with a loud bang.

"WHAT'S WITH THAT?" Naruto yelled in disbelief from his place on the floor.

"You didn't tell him?" Sasuke asked turning to Sakura.

"How was I supposed to explain it?" Sakura asked defensively. "No one would have understood."

"What's he talking about?" Naruto demanded as he peeled himself from the floor and looked from one to the other. "What's going on?"

Just as Sakura was trying to come up with some sort of answer, the Hokage herself barged into the room followed by a group of ANBU and the one and only Hatake Kakashi.

"What the hell is going on here? First they wake me up with a story about Akatsuki and then they come back saying Uchiha Sasuke had just walked into the city with his brother's body. So I want some answers and I want them NOW!" Tsunade demanded, her whole aura screaming "you woke me up, prepare to die."

"I don't know!" Naruto said throwing up his arms in frustration. "I can't figure it out."

"Sasuke killed Itachi," Sakura offered quietly knowing it was a bad idea to anger the Hokage when she'd just gotten up. "So he came home."

Tsunade growled, obviously not liking the simplicity of the answer given, and made a move physically to strangle someone- though who she was aiming for could never be figured out and is highly doubted that she herself even knew- but was stopped when Kakashi stepped forward.

"Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow," He proposed. "when everyone is well rested and thinking clearly." Tsunade paused and considered this idea and, finding it to her liking, grunted in approval.

"Take him in." She ordered the ANBU who had been standing quietly behind her the whole time.

"Wait!" Sakura cried as she lept between Sasuke and the masked nin. "Tsunade-sama, he's injured."

"Sakura," Tsunade sighed. "He's a missing nin, I have to lock him up."

"But-" Sakura started to protest but was interupted by Sasuke.

"It's alright Sakura," Sasuke said as slowly stood to his feet. "It's to be expected."

Sakura chewed her lip and watched him nervously. He was in pretty bad shape but that was to be expected seeing as who his opponent had been. It was suprising that he had made it all the way back to the village with Itachi in tow but sheer determination and adrenaline could do a lot. But now the adrenaline was gone and she could tell the pain and blood loss was starting to take effect. She moved to help support him but Naruto beat her to it.

"I'm not giving you another chance to run off." Naruto huffed as he placed the Uchiha's arm around his shoulder and slipped his own around the injuried man's back. Sasuke grunted his usual impassive response though Sakura was sure he was grateful to Naruto for saving his stupid Uchiha pride.

"What about the body?" Sakura asked quietly as she looked in the direction of the living room where the body now lay.

"Burn it." Sasuke said coldly. "I want the ashes." Tsunade gave Sasuke a long, hard look before nodding to one of the ANBU who disappeared into the other room

"Let's go." The Hokage ordered and their small procession was off down the silent streets of Konoha. At the sight of her beloved Sasuke-kun being led away like a criminal, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little sick.

_But he is a criminal_. Part of her subconcious seemed to sneer at her.

**_No_**, she corrected herself, **_He's Sasuke-kun and that's all that matters._**

Later, after they had placed Sasuke in cell and while Tsunade was discussing guard details with the ANBU, Sakura stood watching Sasuke as he sat dejectedly on the prison bed. Her hands clutched the cold, rusty, iron bars as if they were her life line. The proud Uchiha looked out of place in the dank cell with it's gritty walls and musty smell.

"Sasuke-kun." She called out to him softly but he didn't answer. "Sasuke-kun."

This time he looked up and Sakura's breath caught in her throat. Was that… despair she saw filter across his eyes for a brief second? Was Sasuke-kun upset? Had the seemingly eternal string of bad occurrences in his life finally pilled up beyond even his high pain and heartach threshold? That thought was enough to light a fire somewhere deep down in the young woman's body. Never, never would she sit by and let one her most treasured people suffer, not when she could do something to help.

"I meant it," Sakura said firmly but quietly. Sasuke arched his eyebrows in elegant confusion. "I meant what I said back then."

"_I'll talk to Tsunade, to everyone. I'll make them understand. It would take time, but everyone would come around eventually, I know it!" _

"I'm going to do everything I can to help you. I won't give up until you're out of here." And Sasuke knew she meant it. Back then she had spoken with such passion and conviction and now, even though she wasn't declaring it loudly to the world like that day, the same passion and conviction shown brightly in her gorgeous green eyes.

Sasuke's facial expression softened and though it wouldn't have really looked like a smile to the average man, to Sakura, it was close enough to make her heart soar. She responded by smiling brightly at him, brightening the dark room in a way only Sakura could.

"Sakura." A soft voice called and she turned to find Kakashi standing behind her. "It's time to go."

"But what about Sasuke-kun's wounds?" She asked trying to find a reason to stay a bit longer.

"Tsunade-sama said he should be fine but she'd let you check up on him tomorrow," Kakashi said with a tired smile. "She thought that would make you happy."

"I see." Sakura sighed. She didn't want to leave Sasuke alone in this place but she didn't see how she could convince them to let her stay.

"I'll be back tomorrow Sasuke-kun" She said turning back to the raven-haired boy. "As soon as I can get in, I'll be here." A "hn" and a nod was all she got as a response, not that she was expecting anything more.

"O-yasumi nasai(3) Sasuke-kun," Sakura added quietly before turning to leave, tailed by Kakashi.

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice stopped her and she turned back to him, though most of his body was now shrouded in the shadows that lurked in the cell. "O-yasumi nasai."

Could Sakura have seen his face, she would seen the cold, hard, impassive Uchiha smile, something that was incredible not only because is was Uchiha Sasuke that was doing the smiling but because he was smiling at the sweet cherry blossom he had once been only too happy to call annoying.

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**Terms:**

**1 Teme- **bastard

**2 Dobe- **dead last (Thanks to Uchiha Rose for that)

**3 O-yasumi nasai- **goodnight

**I loved this chappie for some weird reason, not as much as the last one but I still loved it. I think it was Sasuke smiling. **

**Hope to hear from you! **

**FrillingFreak**


	5. Today is Not Your Lucky Day

**HEY! I'm so extremely sorry for the long wait. I'm a busy girl! Just so you know it may be a while before the next chapter too. I'm fixing to start working on TWO plays. Ugh. One of them requires around 6 hours a day and the other around 2 so yeah, that's 8 hours a day that I can't do homework, and sleep, much less write. Sorry, but I'm a theatre major, it's something I have to do. I love it too but man, that's a lot of hours.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I love you guys! Cookies for everyone!**

**Just to forwarn everyone, I'll be introducing an OC soon but they WILL NOT interfer with the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura. If anything they'll bring the two closer together. **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my brain and the things that come from it.**

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**Chapter 5**

**Today is not your lucky day**

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Haruno Sakura was mad. No she was beyond mad, she was rip-roaring, hair pulling, knuckle cracking, teeth grinding, steam rising, rip someone up in a nano-second, bull fighting, PISSED. Someone was going to die a horrible, painful death if she didn't get some answers soon. Who the hell did they think they were, keeping her away from her Sasuke-kun? First they wouldn't let her into the prison to check up on him (and to make sure she really hadn't dreamed up yesterday's events), so she had gone to see the Hokage to straighten things out. When she got to the Hokage's office, she realized immediately that Sasuke must be inside because not only was there a swarm of ANBU guarding the door but Naruto was busy trying every tactic he knew to get in. Now they were refusing to let her in, even if it was just to check up on his wounds. 

"Hokage-sama said no one was to enter until she was done interrogating the prisoner." An ANBU with a cat mask tried to explain. Unfortunately that was not the answer Sakura wanted to hear and she displayed her dissatisfaction by cracking her knuckles and growling.

At this familiar sound, Naruto whirled around and took a defensive stance only to find that for once, Sakura's wrath was not directed at him but at some poor, unprepared ANBU guard. Naruto only had time to shoot the guard an apologetic look before he went flying through the air compliments Sakura's Fist of Fury and collided with the Hokage's office doors, effectively breaking them down. Sakura wasted no time barging through the now decimated doors, scaring the ANBU inside with her massive killing intent.

"Tsunade-sama." Sakura growled dangerously, her eyes gleaming with what would be called later a demonic fire.

"Sakura," Tsunade sighed. She should have seen this coming, after all Sakura was her star pupil and like her in so many ways. "What do you think you're doing? I'm in the middle of taking down Sasuke's statement."

At the mention of Sasuke, Sakura's eyes quickly searched the room for the raven haired teen. She found sitting in a chair surrounded by a mass of guards. He was partially turned in his seat watching her with a look of amusement. At the sight of his dark eyes on her, her glower was immediately replaced by a pretty blush and her angry stance by one of timidity.

"Sasuke-kun." She said smiling happily at finding him at last. As she started toward him, yet another ignorant ANBU guard stepped in between them to block her path. This poor guy didn't even get the usual knuckle crack and growl warning before he went sailing. Tsunade sighed. Add a window to the list of things to have fixed and another one of her best ANBU that needed medical attention. Once again, she should have seen this coming.

"Took you long enough." Sasuke said with a slight chuckle to which Sakura responded with a brilliant smile.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked the Uchiha survivor as she knelt beside him to inspect his wounds. Tsunade quickly motioned to the other guards that it was okay- she didn't need any more men out of commission.

"I've already checked him Sakura," Tsunade informed her pink haired pupil. "I'm not cruel, you know."

"I know," Sakura said quietly as she stood back up. "It's just…" She trailed off, her eyes wandering back to Sasuke who was staring at her intently with a look that sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Well if you're going to stay, then at least sit down." Tsunade sighed knowing it was useless to try and get Sakura to leave. The bubble gum haired medic smiled happily and pulled up a chair next to Sasuke. Another chair was almost immediately place next to hers by a certain blonde team mate who had, up until this moment, been standing in the doorway where he deemed it safest to be until Sakura calmed down.

"No one invited you Naruto." Tsunade said as she narrowed her eyes at the young man.

"But Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto whined. "He's my teammate too!"

"Whatever," Tsunade sighed tiredly. "But if you even begin to annoy me, you're dead." Naruto gulped and nodded nervously. The Hokage's threats weren't something to take lightly.

"Now where were we?" Tsunade asked turning to her secretary, a petite woman in her thirties with kind but smart eyes, who had been taking short hand throughout the interrogation. The woman flipped several pages in her note book, scanning the lines quickly before she answered.

"What happened after he and the others destroyed Sound." She said before flipping back to her current page, pen poised and ready.

"Oh yes," Tsunade said turning back to the young man in question.

"Afterwards many went their own way but some of us stayed together." Sasuke said. "It was easier to stick together. We did odd jobs, trained ourselves and the like."

"Now this one girl you were talking about earlier, was she still with you or did she leave?"

"No she stayed with me."

"Now you say she was a member of Sound also?"

"Not exactly." Sasuke replied slowly. "She was another one of Orochimaru's experiments, but she was never a Sound nin."

"What kind of experiments did her perform on her?" Tsunade asked, dreading what the answer would be.

"I'm not entirely sure. I didn't know her before and didn't meet her until a while after the fact." Sasuke answered. "But you can examine her when she gets here and find out for yourself."

"Wait." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "What did you just say?"

"She's on her way here." Sasuke replied casually.

"And she's coming here because?" Tsunade asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb trying unsuccessfully to stave off a headache.

"She's been with me since I left Sound, even before that really. She knows nothing of the world; she would die on her own." Sasuke explained.

Now during this entire conversation, Naruto and Sakura had been sitting quietly; Naruto nodding his head every now and then knowingly when if fact he didn't have a clue what was going on and Sakura smiling brightly, just happy to be with her Sasuke-kun again. That was until a certain piece of information clicked inside her brain.

"SHE?" Sakura roared as she leapt to her feet, her anger now directed toward her dark haired former team mate. "Did you say _she_? Why you little…"

If Sasuke had been anyone else he probably have been shaking in his booties as Sakura's twitching hands inched closer and closer to his neck, but no, Uchiha Sasuke simply sighed.

"It wasn't like that Sakura." He said giving her one of his famous Uchiha "looks."

"Sakura, sit down!" Tsunade commanded, her fist slamming against the desk. "You can take care of that sort of thing later."

"Hai," Sakura said quietly as she sat down again but her body language clearly said that they hadn't finished talking about this "companion" of Sasuke's.

"Now about this friend of yours, I'll have to meet her and talk with her before I can decide whether or not she can stay in Konoha." Tsunade said.

"I understand." Sasuke replied with a polite nod.

"I'll need a description of this friend of yours," Tsunade said "so that the guards will know to let her through."

"That won't be necessary." Sasuke said coldly. "The guards will not stop her."

"Look Uchiha," Tsunade growled. "You may think you're all high and mighty but don't underestimate Konoha's ninja!"

"I'm not underestimating them. I know they are good; I used to be one of them." Sasuke replied calmly. "But if she doesn't want to be caught by the guards, she won't be."

"Are you implying that this person is strong enough to defeat ALL the village's guards?" Tsunade asked, anger bubbling under the calm of her voice.

"No, she couldn't defeat them," Sasuke corrected. "But if she doesn't want them to know she's there, then they won't."

"What are you saying?" Tsunade prodded quietly, though her frown deepened greatly.

"Her presence, her movements, they're next to impossible to detect." Sasuke explained. "Even I have trouble keeping up with her most of the time, the rest of the time; I can't keep up period." At this Tsunade sat back, eyes wide.

"She can get past you?" Tsunade asked.

"Hai," Sasuke confirmed as the room went deadly quiet. "She may even be able to trick the Byakugan but that has yet to be tested."

Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose again as she processed this information. She finally sighed and turned her eyes back to Sasuke.

"I'm afraid I'll still need a description." She insisted. "It's protocol." Sasuke was about to comply when something behind Tsunade caught his eyes and his lips formed the infamous Uchiha smirk.

"Like I said that won't be necessary." Sasuke said as he continued to smirk triumphantly.

"Uchiha!" Tsunade growled, getting tired of his attitude.

"Look behind you Hokage-sama." Sasuke instructed causing Tsunade to stop mid-rant. Tsunade stared at him quizzically for a minute before standing and looking over her chair. What she saw outside her window caused her to freeze, eyes widening.

"Please tell me that's not her." Tsunade whispered, her voice had a horrified tone that Sakura hadn't heard in a long time

"It is." Sasuke confirmed. Upon hearing this everyone in the room except Sasuke moved to get a better look at the person on the other side of the window. When Sakura finally managed to get a peak over the Hokage's shoulder she stopped dead, realizing why Tsunade sounded so horrified. She turned to him wide-eyed and confused.

"But Sasuke, she's…."

* * *

**Oh, the evil cliffy! Sorry but I suddenly became very melancholy and that's not a good mood to write in so I thought i better stop. I'm going to try and type up the next couple chapters over the weekend and save them to post sporadically while busy with the plays.**

**Words of encouragement would help!**

**FrillingFreak**


	6. Surprise

**First I would like to say how sorry I am for not updating in such a long time but life has been extremely hectic and only promises to get even worse. Thanks for being so patient and putting up with my crazy schedule. You guys are the BEST!**

**Secondly, I just got a part in a local sitcom produced by the film department at the college I go to so I'm going to be really busy next semester. On top of that I may have a part in a play too. Grr, why to I sign up for so much at once?**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Surprise**

* * *

"_Look behind you Hokage-sama." Sasuke instructed causing Tsunade to stop mid-rant. Tsunade stared at him quizzically for a minute before standing and looking over her chair. What she saw outside her window caused her to freeze, eyes widening._

"_Please tell me that's not her." Tsunade whispered, her voice had a horrified tone that Sakura hadn't heard in a long time_

"_It is." Sasuke confirmed. Upon hearing this everyone in the room except Sasuke moved to get a better look at the person on the other side of the window. When Sakura finally managed to get a peak over the Hokage's shoulder she stopped dead, realizing why Tsunade sounded so horrified. She turned to him wide-eyed and confused. _

"_But Sasuke, she's…."_

"Only a child?" Sasuke finished her question for her. "Yes."

For squatting on the ledge outside the Hokage's window was a small girl who appeared no older than nine or ten with brown hair and pale blue eyes that had a sort of tainted innocence about them. Her skin was extremely pale, to a point of being sickly and she might have been considered pretty if not for a nasty scar that ran from the base of her left ear to just under the side of her lip. She was dressed in clothes that were old and to big for her incredibly small body. On her back were two small packs that looked to have seen better days.

"My god," Tsunade whispered as she stepped forward and threw open the window. At her sudden action, the young girl jumped back several feet along the ledge, her eyes watching Tsunade's every move.

"She's skittish." Sasuke warned. "Not that you can blame her after spending most of her life with Orochimaru." Tsunade frowned but stepped away from the window to give the girl plenty of room, but the girl only watched her warily from where she was squatting on the ledge.

"It's alright." Sasuke called out to her calmly. "You can come in." At the sound of Sasuke's voice, she glanced through the window at him and began to creep her way toward the open window. When she reached it, she gave Tsunade a long look as if trying to decide whether she was safe. And then in a flash she disappeared and reappeared at Sasuke's side causing everyone in the room to jump. She smiled up at Sasuke brightly, her head titling to the side slightly.

"Did your trip go well, Kichi?" Sasuke asked the small girl as he motioned for her to put the packs down.

"Hai, Sasuke-sama." She answered softly as she complied and set the packs beside his chair.

"So her name's Kichi?" Tsunade sighed as she closed the window. "Do you know her family name?"

"No," Sasuke answered. "She has very few memories of her life before Orochimaru." The young girl, who had moved to hide behind Sasuke, shivered at the mention of the infamous sannin and this small gesture did not go unnoticed by the other people in the room. Tsunade watched the girl who was peaking shyly over Sasuke's shoulder for a second before continuing.

"I would like to hear more about this." Tsunade said. "But I think it would be best to progress when the young lady is not present."

"I agree Hokage-sama, but she's not going to just leave." Sasuke said. "She won't trust anyone enough to leave with them."

"Then what do you suggest?" Tsunade asked.

"Medic nins have a technique that will induce sleep in their patients do they not?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes." Tsunade answered. "But you're not suggesting I use it on her are you?"

"Not you," Sasuke clarified. "Sakura."

"ME?" Sakura squeaked. Until now she had been listening in stunned silence but when Sasuke suggested she be the one to put the frightened girl to sleep she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Because she'll trust you." Sasuke answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"I've told her a bit about you and she knows you're a friend."

"Oh." Sakura stared at him dumbly for a second before turning her gaze to the small girl only to find the girl watching her with eyes full of wonderment. When she realized she'd been caught staring, she ducked behind Sasuke quickly, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"Kichi." Sasuke said softly motioning for her come and stand beside him. The small brunette complied quickly and was at his side in a second, staring up at Sasuke with adoring eyes. "I know you're probably tired after your long trip so Sakura is going to put you to sleep now. Alright?"

Kichi looked from Sasuke to Sakura and back to Sasuke as she tried to come to a decision. Sasuke simply nodded in response to her unspoken question. She smiled brightly up at him before turning to gaze shyly up at Sakura. Sakura couldn't help but smile back at the timid child hoping to calm her silent shaking.

"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura turned to the Hokage, seeking permission to continue. The older woman sat silently for a moment, contemplating the situation before signally for Sakura to proceed.

"Well, Kichi-chan, why don't you sit here where you will be more comfortable?" Sakura suggested as she motioned to the chair she had been occupying not to long ago. Kichi looked from the chair, to Sasuke, to Sakura but made no move to sit. Luckily, Sakura understood the meaning of that look and moved the chair so that it was actually touching Sasuke's chair then backed up a safe distance so she wouldn't crowd the skittish young girl.

Immediately the small girl scrambled up into the chair and instinctively reached for Sasuke's arm and hugged it to herself. Sasuke made no move to remove his arm from her grasp even though it was at what had to be an uncomfortable angle. Once she was comfortable, Sakura crouched in front of her so that they were on the same eye level.

"Now, Kichi-chan, this won't hurt a bit." Sakura explained hoping to put the girl at ease. "And if it does then I give you permission to pinch me as hard as you like when you wake up."

At first Kichi seemed shocked by the offer but after a second, a shy smile slowly spread across her face and she nodded timidly at Sakura. Sakura gently placed one hand on Kichi's forehead and one over her chest and was glad when she didn't flinch under her touch. A soft glow of green chakra encompassed Sakura's hands and flowed into the child's small body and in no time, Kichi had nodded off. Sakura was quick to catch her head before it fell forward and leaned it gently against Sasuke's arm.

"All done." Sakura stated quietly as she stood back up, glad her muscles hadn't had time to cramp.

"Then Uchiha-san, will you please continue?" Tsunade asked turning attention back to the matter at hand. "And I want to hear everything and I mean all lavish details included."

"Oh, is Sasuke going to tell a story?" Everyone jumped at the sound of a new voice and turned to find Kakashi standing in the doorway.

"Took you long enough!" Tsunade growled at the excessively late Jounin.

"I had to help an old lady find her cat." Kakashi said with a smile.

"Lair," Naruto and Sakura both mumbled under their breath.

_Some things never change._ Sasuke thought with a smirk.

"Can we get on with this without any further interruptions now?" Tsunade grumbled. Everyone nodded and obediently shut up. "Now continue Uchiha-san, and remember not to leave anything out."

Sasuke sighed at her instructions. He had never been one to talk much; it just wasn't in his nature, but he wasn't about to go against the Hokage's orders and make her mad. They better enjoy it while they get the chance because this was definitely a once in a life time opportunity.

"I first stumbled across her about two and a half years after I left Konoha." Sasuke started, sharing a meaningful look with Sakura.

"_So he didn't meet her until after we saw each other that time_," Sakura though to herself.

"It had gotten to a point where I could no longer stand to spend time with the Sound ninja- they were just too crude, too vile for me to handle anymore." Sasuke continued. "So I went deep into the complex, searching for some place quiet and private to train. I needed to get away from everyone else so I thought the older part of the complex would be the best part to go to do that. And that's how it began…"

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**Okay, so I know this was kind of short but I wanted to have something to post for all my readers. The next chapter or two will be flashbacks of how Sasuke met Kichi.**

**For your information:**

**Kichi means fortunate in Japanese. I thought it would be fun in that it's an ironic name because she was unfortunate to get involved with Orochimaru but fortunate in that Sasuke saved her.**

**Hope you enjoyed and hope to hear from you!**


	7. Back When We First Met

**AAAHH! I'm soooo sorry for taking so long to post this chapter! I actually wasn't planning on stopping this chapter at the point I did but I realized that it'd been like a month since I'd posted and decided to cut my orginal idea for this chapter into two seperate chapters and go ahead and the first half. It's a good thing I did to because this half alone is close to three times longer than most of my normal chapters. Heck, it's a few paragraphs short of the original story, Something To Look Forwar To. But anyway, I appologize for the wait and hope you enjoy.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter and the next one are flashbacks of how Sasuke and Kichi first met. I hope that's not confusing!**

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_Previously (since it's been a while):_

"Can we get on with this without any further interruptions now?" Tsunade grumbled. Everyone nodded and obediently shut up. "Now continue Uchiha-san, and remember not to leave anything out."

Sasuke sighed at her instructions. He had never been one to talk much; it just wasn't in his nature, but he wasn't about to go against the Hokage's orders and make her mad. They better enjoy it while they get the chance because this was definitely a once in a life time opportunity.

"I first stumbled across her about two and a half years after I left Konoha." Sasuke started, sharing a meaningful look with Sakura.

_"So he didn't meet her until after we saw each other that time_," Sakura though to herself.

"It had gotten to a point where I could no longer stand to spend time with the Sound ninja- they were just too crude, too vile for me to handle anymore." Sasuke continued. "So I went deep into the complex, searching for some place quiet and private to train. I needed to get away from everyone else so I thought the older part of the complex would be the best part to go to do that. And that's how it began…"

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**Chapter 7**

**Back When We First Met**

The passageways deep in the Sound complex where cold and dank and Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but grimace at the musty smell that permeated the air. He was hoping to find a large room in the abandoned part of the complex to train in solitude in. So far his search had only turned up a series of small rooms- much too small for his purposes. Finally at the end of one of the longer corridors, Sasuke found what he'd been looking for.

He pushed open the old, rusted double doors and stepped inside. The room was large enough for his liking. It was obviously an old lab because broken beakers and tubing cluttered the dusty tables and shelves that lined the wall on his left. There were many large apparatuses in one corner of the room whose purpose Sasuke didn't want to think about.

In the opposite corner was four prison-like cells built into the walls themselves with two on each wall. A glance inside the closest cell told Sasuke exactly what had been going on in this room some time ago for inside lay the bloodied and torn clothes of its former inhabitants.

Sasuke turned and quickly put as much distance as possible between the cells and himself without even bothering to look inside the other three. With sure movements, he pushed the scattered tables up against the side walls and took a familiar fighting stance in the center of the room.

As he began to go through the familiar motions, his body relaxed and his mind settled, letting his instincts take over. After about thirty minutes of running through some basic exercises, Sasuke snapped open his weapons pouch for some target practice. He zoned in on several knots in the wood of the shelves and in a flash, he had embedded a kunai in each of them.

And so the hours passed as he moved from one technique to the next. It was late when he finally stopped and sank slowly to the ground with his back against the rear wall. He sat for several minutes breathing heavily and enjoying the feeling of exhaustion that came from a good, hard workout. It was in the quiet stillness that he first became aware of it. There, in the break between breaths, was a noise. It was so soft that he almost missed it. It was the sound of someone breathing, someone who was not him.

In a flash, his eyes snapped open, sharigan blazing, kunai at the ready, and did a fast scan of the room. His preliminary scan failed to turn up the un-welcomed guest so he scanned the room again, this time more carefully. At first, his search turned up nothing out of the ordinary until his eyes passed over the cell in the corner facing him, whose contents had been hidden from view from his previous position in the front of the room.

There, deep inside the cell's dark shadows, was a pair of shining eyes staring back at him. Sasuke sat dumbfounded for a minute before he came back to his senses and his mind began to whirl back into action.

"_There's someone still in there!"_ Sasuke thought as he jumped to his feet and rushed to the cell. His abrupt actions seemed to startle who ever was in the cell for they moved farther back into the shadows of the cell. But Sasuke chose to ignore this and continued to approach.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked as he kneeled in front to the cell and began examining the lock on the small door. When he received no answer he stopped and looked up only to find that the person inside had only moved farther back into the cell, as if trying to get away from him. Sasuke frowned at this odd behavior.

"Are you hurt? Can you talk?" Sasuke prodded, trying to find a reason this person's odd behavior, but the only answer he got was a slight whimper. Sasuke knew something was off; the person inside the cell was crouched extremely low to the ground, too low to just be setting. They had to be hurt badly to sit in such an awkward position.

"Hold on," Sasuke instructed as he rushed to the front of the room to retrieve a torch to shed some light on the situation. What the light revealed inside the dank cell left Sasuke so shocked that he sank to his knees in horror.

Inside the cell, pressed against the back wall, was a scrawny, sad excuse for a little girl. Her brown hair a matted mess and a pitiful excuse for clothing in the form of knotted rags hung limply from her sickly thin body. Her pale blue eyes were shrouded with indescribable fear. The many nasty scars that marred her young skin were enough to make the bile rise in Sasuke's throat and he had to turn away before he became sick all over the floor.

_She was just a kid! How could they be so cruel as to leave a child, or anyone for that matte,r to starve in this place?!?_ He knew Orochimaru was malicious, but this was a new low even for him.

_She's so young. What was Orochimaru trying to do with a girl her age?_ Sasuke fumed to himself as he quickly snatched a kunai from his leg pouch and in one swift movement, broke the lock that held the girl prisoner. He swung open the small door and started to crawl inside but a frightened cry from inside the cell stopped him.

At his sudden infringement in her safety zone, the small child had retreated frantically as far as she could into the back of the cell. Sasuke sat, stunned as the girl tried desperately to mold her body into the wall itself. He pale eyes stared back at him with what could only be described as unadulterated fear.

_She's scared of me. _Sasuke thought in stunned silence. _She's scared of ME. _

Very slowly, Sasuke crept back and out of the cell and moved to sit beside the door, putting the iron bars between him and the girl within. He sat silently for a few minutes, allowing her to calm down some before trying to talk to her again.

"I'm not going to hurt you," He tried to explain. "I'm trying to help you. You need to get out of this place or you'll die." The only response was quiet whimpering from the girl who sat shaking silently in the farthest corner of the dark cell. No matter what Sasuke said, he couldn't seem to coax the child out of her dismal cell. And when he tried to enter the cell to remove her, she would start crying in the most pitiful, heart-wrenching manner and he couldn't bring himself to forcibly carry her out.

So after over thirty minutes of fruitless coaxing, Sasuke realized that he better be leaving soon or else Orochimaru would be sending someone to look for him and he didn't want to think of what would happen if the snake-nin discovered one of his past experiments was still alive in the old compound.

"The least I can do for now is get you something to eat, I suppose." Sasuke mussed quietly as he stood to get his things. But all he had with him was half a bottle of water and a few energy bars. "I guess this will have to do until I can come back tomorrow."

Slowly, Sasuke placed the food and water just inside the cell and backed out. He started to leave but on second thought he turned back and shut the cell door and locked it again, or at least locked it as best he could with a broken lock. He didn't want to risk her getting curious and wandering around the compound for anyone to find, though he seriously doubted that in her frightened state she would try leaving the place where she obviously felt safest.

"I'll be back tomorrow with something more for you to eat." Sasuke reassured her though for all he knew, she couldn't understand a word he was saying.

Sasuke had trouble sleeping that night as visions of little girls with pale blue eyes and scared faces danced before his eyes. His imagination was working over time supplying different possible scenarios on what Orochimaru could have been doing to the child and all the experiments he could have performed on her.

He spent the next day distracted by thoughts of a certain little girl who was locked in a cell deep within the complex, without food and water. Well, not adept food and water at least. When he was finally able to get away, it was late in the afternoon. He stopped by his room first and grabbed a roll and banana and a large thermos of water. He knew that it wasn't a lot of food but it was dangerous for someone who hadn't eaten in a while to eat large amounts at first. She would have to slowly work her way up to bigger meals. He started to leave but on second thought went back and grabbed a spare blanket from his closet and threw it into a shoulder bag along with the food before starting on his way.

He managed to get to the old lab without anyone stopping him and entered quickly, shutting the door behind him. In a flash, he was back in the corner crouching in front of the cell once more.

"Hello again," He said softly. "I came back just as I said I would and I brought you more food." He continued to talk quietly as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Inside the cell, the young girl was still crouched in the same corner, clutching her knees to her chest. At first glance, the food and water looked untouched but a closer inspection once he had unlocked and opened the door showed that she had devoured every last crumb of the energy bars and all of the water.

"It's good that you're eating." He said to no one in particular. "I also brought you a blanket. It must get cold down here at night." He sat for a moment, hoping to get a response but to no avail. With a sigh he removed the old food and placed the new inside on a paper towel. Next he placed the blanket beside it and then set back and waited to see if this would get a response. Nothing. She simply stared back at him with large, frightened eyes and he could tell in that moment that it was going to take more than him bringing her a meal or two before she would trust him.

He sighed and stood to his feet to start training. Maybe if she was around him more, she would get used to him. Plus, training was the reason he'd come here in the first place. He started to walk away from the cell to get his gear when he realized that he didn't know the girl's name.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" He asked as he turned back to the cell. His answer was silence. "I suppose I'll have to think of something to call you for now." He crouched back down to her eye level as he began contemplating a temporary name for the child. His gaze was met by two ice blue eyes full of fear and trepidation. _She's so small. And the way she shakes in fear and that look in her eyes reminds me of a frightened animal. Like a cornered rabbit. A rabbit, yes that's perfect._

"How about Usagi? Yes, I think that fits you just fine." He said with a smirk, though not an unkind one. "It's a pleasure to meet you Usagi-san. I am Uchiha Sasuke of the Sound Village, formerly of Konoha." She simply blinked at his introduction and hugged her knees tighter to her chest. Sasuke sighed again and began his training.

And so things fell into a routine. He would bring fresh food and water every day to replace the old. Upon entering the room, he would unlock and open the gate, throw away the trash and put out the new food, and then begin training, all the while leaving the door to the cell open. When he was done training, he would check on "The Little Usagi," as he had come to call her, one last time before locking the cell door again and leaving. He got used to her not eating when he was in the room. In fact, he doubted that she moved at all when he was around. She simply sat in the back corner on her blanket and watched him train.

At first, he had tried training in silence but had found it unnerving so he had taken up the habit of talking to her while he trained. He had never been one to talk much (not at all if you asked his fellow ninja) but it came naturally under the odd circumstances and was more comfortable than the heavy silence. At first he explained the various techniques and styles he was practicing to her, telling her what he was doing and what he hoped to accomplish. Then came the complaints about his fellow Sound-nin and his complete and utter disgust towards its sadistic leader. He could almost feel her quiver in fear at the mention of the snake sannin whom had undoubtedly tortured her. And before he realized it, he was telling her stories of Konoha and its people. For the most part he told her about his fellow Leaf nin, explaining each person in detail and of course giving vivid, if not somewhat elaborated, stories of his missions and "conquest." Occasionally he would catch himself starting to drift into a story about his childhood, or more specifically, his family and would quickly stop. It's not that he wished to keep his past a secret, he just didn't think she needed to hear a horror story right now, not after what she'd gone through and talking about his family would eventually lead to _that _incident.

Almost two weeks passed this way and Sasuke had to admit that he these little "sessions" were not only improving his fighting abilities but also were giving him a sense of emotional catharsis. It was good to have someone to talk to, even if they just stared at you the whole time- though she had stopped shaking whenever he went near her which was a nice change. Speaking of the Little Usagi, Sasuke was finding himself becoming quite attached to her. Maybe it was the fact that he had told her so much about himself, that he had let her in and opened up, or that he saw something in her pale blue eyes that reminded him of himself as a small frightened child whose whole world had been turned upside down. Whatever it was, it gave him the patience to wait for her to come around and learn to trust him.

It was at this time that he first noticed a change in her behavior. It wasn't anything major, but to him it was a big step in the right direction. He had noticed it when he went to check up on her before leaving. He had almost missed it as he gaze traveled over the cell, passing over her and then the food. There it was, so small but so significant. There in the block of cheese were several small bite marks indicating that someone had grown courageous enough to steal a few bites of food while he was still in the room training.

Sasuke chose to pretend that he hadn't seen anything and continue on as normal. He feared confrontation would only cause her to retreat back into her shell. And the last thing he need now was to start all over again.

From then on things seemed to move faster. Usagi was becoming bolder at a faster rate, and though he never caught her eating, at the end of the day there was always more food gone than the day before. It got to a point where she would actually sit just inside and to the left of the door and watch him train while eating. Sasuke quickly learned that if he wanted her to stay there, then he would have to ignore her for if he were to turn to look at her, she would be gone before he could get completely turned around. The first time it happened he was shocked and the second, something dawned on him.

_This must be why Orochimaru wanted her. She's fast. Even I can't see her. I wonder what she can do out in the open._

One day, when Sasuke was practicing his taijustu, he caught her off guard. He was moving so quickly from one move to the next that she must have had trouble keeping up with him. That and she was getting more comfortable around him so she probably wasn't paying that much attention to him. He had been in the middle of a high kick and his foot had slipped slightly, throwing him off balance. To compensate for it, he allowed the natural moment of the kick to swing him around father then he had original planned and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He was met by one very startled blue-eyed girl.

They both sat, startled, and openly gawked at each other. Sasuke was frozen in a combat stance and her with an apple held up to her mouth, lips poised to take a bite. Sasuke panicked. He knew that any sudden movements would frighten her but he also knew that setting here and staring at her wasn't a good idea either. His mind went into a frenzy as he tried to decide what the best course of action when the sound of a soft crunch brought him back to reality.

Inside the cell, Little Usagi sat slowly chewing a bite of her apple, watching him closely to gauge his reaction. Sasuke started at her dumbfounded, and then it clicked. She was trying to tell him that it was okay, that she wasn't going to run anymore. He couldn't suppress the small smile that spread across his face as he nodded his understanding and returned to training. His heart soared with this new development. She trusted him, finally. It wouldn't be long now until he could get her out of here and to his quarters where he could take better care of her. From there he would have to find a way to get them both out of Sound village, but for now he was just taking it one step at a time.

Over the next couple of days he managed to coax her out of the cell by placing her food outside the door. The change threw her off at first but she soon got used to it and would sit happily munching on her food while he trained. This most recent development not only gained him more of her trust but also allowed him to examine her in detail for the first time in the light. She had put on a little weight but was still painfully thin. Her skin was pale and scarred and her eyes heavy with experiences that someone her age shouldn't even be able to imagine.

He continued to tell her stories as he trained and she listened attentively while she ate. He learned to tell her emotions and moods from her eyes and body position. He picked up on that she enjoyed stories about Naruto, Sakura, and –oddly enough- Lee. And he could of sworn that he saw her smile once when he was telling a story about one of Naruto's many pranks.

And then one day it happened, what he had been waiting and hoping for this whole time. He had decided to take a break after a particularly exhausting training session and had sunk to the ground with his back against the rear wall. He had been so wrapped up in getting his heart rate and breathing back down to normal that he didn't even sense her approaching until he caught sight of her in his peripheral vision. In a matter of only seconds, she had moved from her usual spot just outside her cell and had come to kneel just to his left. He froze at her sudden appearance at his side and turned his head slightly to gaze at her silently.

The blue eyes that stared back at him had changed since the last time he had looked. Her eyes reflected fear, something he had gotten used to seeing in her eyes, something that was as much a part of her as her eyes themselves. But they also reflected the need to over come that fear, the need to trust, to have someone to trust, someone to take the fear away.

"Usagi," he said softly, stunned by what he saw. She bit her lip and swallowed, trying to work up her courage. She opened her mouth then closed it. He could see her struggle written on her face and silently encouraged her, sending strength her way.

"Kichi." Her soft and gentle voice startled him and sent his mind into overdrive trying to figure out what it was she was trying to tell him. She must have seen the confusion on his face because she poked herself in the chest with her finger and repeated, "Kichi."

"Your name." It dawned on him. She was telling him her name. He smiled and reached his hand out to pat her head not caring how tangled and nasty her hair was. "Kichi, huh? It's nice."

He was afraid the sudden physical contact would startle her but to his surprise, it had the opposite effect. In a flash, she was in his lap, clinging desperately to his shirt. He started to pull her off him and ask her what was wrong when he felt tears soaking through his shirt to his skin. Her small body shook as she sobbed silently and Sasuke's heart left him no option but to put his arms around her in a gentle hug. She responded by snuggling closer to him.

"It's alright," he soothed her. "I'm going to take care of you now." She nodded her understanding into his chest and pulled back to wipe the tears from her face. She smiled timidly up at him, a sight that made his heart soar.

"Why don't we get you out of here and to my room where you can get cleaned up?" Sasuke suggested. A flash of fear shot across her features at the idea of leaving a place she considered safe and traveling into the unknown, but she swallowed her fear and nodded. "Why don't you get your things out of the cell while I grab mine so we can leave?"

Without bothering to acknowledge his request, Kichi dashed into the cell and re-appeared moments later clutching the blanket Sasuke had given her not to long ago. Sasuke quickly gathered up his weapons and the leftover food before stuffing everything into his bag.

"Now Kichi," Sasuke kneeled down to her level as he talked. "While we're going to my room, I need you to do something for me. I need you to be as quiet as possible. I know you have the ability to hide your presence because you've done it when I'm here and I need you to do that in the hall. We can't be seen or heard." Kichi nodded solemnly and took a deep breath to steel herself. As they slipped quietly out into the hall way, Kichi slipped her hand into Sasuke's larger one. He squeezed her hand for support and they were off.

They managed to reach Sasuke's quarters without incident thanks to their shared ability to disappear into the shadows. Once they were both inside, Sasuke shut and firmly locked the door behind them. Kichi's eyes were wide as she took in her new surroundings. Though Sasuke's compartment was small, consisting of a kitchen/dinning/living room and a separate bedroom and bathroom, the little girl was obviously enthralled by everything in the meager rooms.

"Welcome to your temporary home, Kichi," Sasuke said as he set his bag down and moved to stand beside her. "Now why don't we get you cleaned up and settled in?" Kichi nodded obediently as her eyes continued to dart around the room.

Sasuke led her into the bathroom and turned on the water. While he waited on the tub to fill completely up he pointed out the various soaps and shampoos to the young girl, telling her how to properly use each.

"Now I want you to get cleaned up while I get your bed ready." Sasuke instructed her after he turned the water off. He turned to leave but realized that he didn't have any clean clothes for her to wear and she couldn't very well put the filthy rags she was wearing now back on. He began to rifle through his drawers, looking for something suitable but all he could come up with was one of his older t-shirts that was smaller than the rest. He grabbed his Sound hitai-ate and ripped the metal part off being careful not to tear the material. Heck it wasn't like he ever wore the damned thing anyway. He went back into the bathroom and set them on the counter.

"Put this on when you're done and tie the black material around your waist." He instructed. "If you need anything, I'll be right outside."

Sasuke exited the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He hoped she could figure this out by herself because he wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to give her a bath. First he wasn't really sure how old she was, second he didn't want to risk her new found trust being warped into something sick, and third, the whole idea just made Sasuke really uncomfortable.

Now he needed a place for her to sleep. It would need to be somewhere out of sight in case they should get a late night visitor and in case she needed to hide during the day. An idea struck him and he hurried into the kitchen. He flung open all the bottom cabinets and peered inside. The space was deep and three cabinets width long, plenty of room for Kichi's small body. He quickly removed the few things he had thrown down there over the years and wiped it down good. Next he covered the bottom in several soft blankets and a pillow. He stepped back and observed his work and couldn't help but think it was missing something.

He snapped his fingers when he realized what it was and reached for his weapons bag. He removed a sebon and kunai from the bag and got to work. Using the sebon as a spike and the kunai as a make-shift hammer, Sasuke place a series of evenly spaced holes in each cabinet door so that they appeared to be part of the cabinet's original design. Next he looped thin thread through two of the holes on one door and tied it in the back so that Kichi could use it as a handle to close the doors from the inside. He repeated this process on the other doors then put his weapons up, satisfied with his work. Now Kichi would have light and a way to close the doors on her on.

After putting his things away, he went to check on Kichi. He started to call out to her through the door put a sound from the other side stopped him. A splash followed by laughter, soft and barely distinguishable but laughter none the less. It brought a smile to his face to know that she had finally found a way to be a child again and enjoy herself. Unable to bring himself to stop her fun, Sasuke stepped away from the door and decided to let her enjoy the bath as long as she wanted. Besides, he had a lot of things to think about, the most important being how he was going to get them both out of here alive.

A soft peal of laughter from inside the bathroom told him that it would be worth whatever he had to do.

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**I hope everybody enjoyed and, once again, sorry for the wait. I don't know how long it'll take for me to get the next chapter out with school starting up again soon and me taking hard classes. Plus I'm in this sitcom thing so that will take some time too. But I'll write as fast as I can because I love you guys!**

**Next Chapter: The Dangerous Escape**


	8. The Dangerous Escape

**Gah, my life is hectic! First my computer crashes and freaks me out because I live on my computer. Then all my teachers start piling on the homework and I'm like "What? You actually expect me to work at school?" What's up with that? Lastly, I'm just plain stupid and took on the task of writing two stories at once which is a VERY bad idea if you're as busy as me. Uh, I have a headache.**

**Okay so now that I've had my little rant, let's get on with the story!**

**I don't own Naruto, duh!**

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**Chapter 8**

**The Dangerous Escape**

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Over the next couple of weeks, things fell into a pattern for the Uchiha and his new roommate. Whenever he would awaken, the first thing he would do was to check on Kichi in her hidden bed under the cabinet. And everyday without fail her ice blue eyes would greet him from within the dark caverns of the cabinet. He once asked her if she slept at all but she simply smiled up at him and didn't answer.

It wasn't until several days latter that he found his answer. It was in the middle of the night when he awoke with a start to the sound of desperate crying. In a flash he rushed into the other room expecting to find a group of ninja hauling Kichi away but instead the room was dark and empty. Upon opening the cabinet door, he found Kichi curled up in a tight ball deep in the clutches of what had to be a horrific nightmare. After a moment's hesitation, he gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to his bed. It took several minutes of soft soothing before she finally quieted down and drifted back into a peaceful sleep curled up next to his comforting warmth.

It was in that moment and moments like it to follow when the nightmares would creep back upon her and she would come to him seeking haven from her greatest fears that Sasuke would wonder if this was what it felt like to be a parent; the uncontrollable swelling of emotion that was so foreign to him and the need to protect and care for her come what may. And it was moments like this when he would smile to himself in the dark room as the tiny girl next to him mumbled in her sleep.

And so each morning she would great him with a smile and a soft "O-hayou gozaimasu Sasuke-sama" and they would begin getting ready for a new day. After a change of clothes and a quick breakfast, Sasuke would head out to do whatever it was that Orochimaru had planned for him and Kichi would stay behind to clean up and do what ever it was she did all day while he was away.

During the day he listened carefully and watched everyone around him, searching quietly for those who were unhappy with the situation they were currently in; those who were disappointed with Orochimaru's unfulfilled promises and hidden agendas. He poked and prodded carefully at each one to discern whether or not they were just grumbling or if they seriously wanted out or just wanted revenge for the lives they'd wasted and the scars they carried.

It wasn't a hard task considering how many people Orochimaru had crossed over the years. Everyone in their little group offered up ideas eagerly when prompted and before they knew it, plans for a revolution were being put into place. Every time Sasuke would pass one of his fellow conspirators in the corridors or on the training grounds and their eyes would meet for a split second, he would have to fight the urge to smirk at the uprising he knew was to come.

And everyday waiting for him back in his quarters was the soft smile of a pale skinned girl who looked up to him with adoration and trust. Each night, they would cook super together in the little kitchenette and Kichi would watch his every move with fascination and try to copy him. That usually led to very …interesting results. But as the days went by, her concoctions were getting close and closer to recognizable food products. Kichi was extremely proud of her accomplishments so Sasuke tried his best to find a positive way to compliment her "cooking." She was so excited by her new "skills" that one day she took it upon herself to fix diner and have it on the table by the time Sasuke came home. Luckily for Sasuke, the food was the best she'd made so far so diner wasn't _extremely _unbearable, which was good for Sasuek because he knew he couldn't stand it if something were to happen to wipe the happy smile off her face.

Diner was always followed by a quick shower for Sasuke and a long bath filled with giggles and splashing for Kichi. Next came bedtime stories, lots and lots of bedtime stories. Kichi was obsessed with his stories of Konoha and all its inhabitants and was always begging for her favorite stories. One night it would be stories of Naruto's crazy antics and the next night it would be stories of his missions and the battles he'd fought, though he might have exaggerated his part in the battles just a little bit.

For Sasuke, telling these stories was therapeutic; each story helped him to regain a piece of the humanity he'd lost over the years and helped him put his life into perspective. Sasuke had come to realize over the years that having power wasn't what life was all about; instead it was having important people and things to protect with that power. But in order to be able to protect the things he held dear, Sasuke would have to face his demons first with his biggest demon being his brother. So he still needed to fight Itachi but the motivations behind that need had changed slightly.

Sure he sill wanted revenge, still wanted answers- who wouldn't- but now he also wanted to be free, to live in peace with the people close to him without the constant thoughts of his brother hanging in the shadows of his mind.

He hadn't even realized the underlying motivation for his actions until his accidental run in with Sakura on that fateful day in the forest. Just seeing her for a few minutes made him realize how much he had missed Konoha and its inhabitants, how much he'd missed his friends. Seeing her also made it painfully obvious on how much he had missed out on during his absence. How much she had changed over just a few years had shocked him and made him wonder how much everyone else had changed. Would he even recognize them now? Would they recognize him?

These thoughts and questions always darkened Sasuke's mood and left a sour taste in his mouth and – if he would ever admit it- a heavy feeling in his chest. But he had Kichi now and she seemed to have to have a sixth sense that told her when he was in a dark mood and she would try and cheer him up. This usually meant laying her head on his shoulder or simply placing a small delicate hand into his larger, calloused one- an act that never failed to make Sasuke's heart soar.

Soon the weeks flew by and the time to execute their plan was at hand. Sasuke had carefully prepped Kichi on what to do when the time came but he went over the plan one last time just to be safe.

"Now remember Kichi," Sasuke started as he began packing her small bag with a few necessities. "You'll go with me as far as the rendezvous point with Hotaka and then you'll go alone from there, following the route I mapped out for you until you get outside."

"And then I hide in the spot you told me about and wait for you." Kichi added enthusiastically.

"That's right." Sasuke said as he bent down to her eye level. "And what do you do to make sure no one finds you?"

"Keep my chakra hidden like you taught me and be very quiet."

"And if someone does see you?"

"Then I run away from them as fast as I can."

"Right." Sasuke said as he ruffled her hair slightly. "I'm confident that you can outrun anyone here, maybe even me."

"Oh no, not you Sasuke-sama. You're the best." Kichi protested adamantly. "I just like to run lots and lots."

"I know." Sasuke said with an amused smirk as he stood up and proceeded to help Kichi with her pack before securing his own snuggly on his back. After one last check and a scan of the immediate area, they were off moving silently in the shadows like a pair of ghost from the past.

After several minutes of tense traveling and a couple close calls, they reached their destination. Sasuke motioned for Kichi to stay put while he went to check for Hotaka. Sure enough, the large burly man stepped out of the shadows when Sasuke came into sight and greeted him with a curt nod.

After they had exchanged the pre-determined passwords, Sasuke signaled to Kichi that it was safe to come out of her hiding place. To say the colossal man at Sasuke's side was shocked at the sight of the tiny girl would be an understatement as he openly gaped at the child before him.

"Kichi, you need to take the next left down this hall then follow the route I told you about." Sasuke instructed without bothering to explain the situation to the other man. He figured Hotaka was smart enough to figure out the basics of the situation on his own.

"Hai Sasuke-sama." Kichi replied softly with a small smile and a polite bow. She took a step to leave but paused and looked up at Hotaka, studying his hardened face. She must have decided that she liked him because her pale lips shaped form the shape of a shy smile before she disappeared into the darkness.

There was a moment of silence as the two men stared in the direction that Kichi had just disappeared with shocked expressions on their faces before Sasuke made a move to leave.

"I don't blame you, Uchiha." Hotaka broke the silence with his gruff voice. "I probably would have done the same thing. Little kid like that doesn't deserve to be in a hell hole like this."

"Ie." Was Sasuke's only response as he started off.

"But don't worry," Hotaka continued. "Your reputation is safe with me."

Sasuke stopped and looked over his shoulder at Hotaka, one elegant eyebrow arched in a question in response to this statement.

"I won't tell anybody that you're not the cold hearted bastard that you want us to think you are." Hotaka said with a smirk. Sasuke simply snorted indignantly and stalked off.

Hotaka couldn't help but chuckle as he followed the younger man. Who would have thought: the Uchiha taking care of some kid. The next thing you know the sky would fall, pigs would fly, and Orochimaru would take up ballet.

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**Next chapter we're getting back to current events which means: No more flash backs! (well at least for a while) That should make you happy.**

**Hotaka is the name of a mountian in Japan. I chose it because I really like the sound of the name and think it fits the character perfectly because he's as big as a mountain. I may bring back in later chapters depending on how things go.**

**REVIEW PLEASE! It makes my day soo much better!**


	9. It All Begins

**Hey readers! Sorry for the long wait. I originally meant to have this posted by last Thursday and even swore off reading other fanfiction so I could finish it but then my life went down the drain and I just now got around to finishing it up. You see my roommate came down with the flu and I had to move out for a while so I would risk getting it and I was working off a friends computer for several days and then my meanie teachers decided to give me multiple papers to write and my director decided to waste my whole weekend taping. Gah! I was frustrated! I have soo many story alerts in my email inbox right now that it's sad. Now maybe I'll finally get to read some of them! YAY!**

**I hope you enjoy! I made it extra long to make up for the wait!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Gaara would be my play pretty so I obviously don't own Naruto because there's no Gaara in my house.**

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**Chapter 9**

**It All Begins**

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There was complete silence in the Hokage's office as Sasuke narrated what had happened to him and Kichi over the last year or so. Kichi, whom had slept soundly throughout Sasuke's entire story, had managed to wiggle her way around until her head rested in Sasuke's lap. Sasuke didn't seem to mind though and even stroked her hair from time to time, a gesture that made Sakura's "kawaii- radar" go through the roof.

They listened attentively as Sasuke described their life after Orochimaru's fall and the hardships they had gone through as they lived as a band of nomadic ninja. But when it came to his fight with his elder brother, Sasuke gave few details and his facial expression clearly said he would not be inclined to give any more.

When he was finished, there was a moment of silence in which everyone allowed all that he had told them to sink in. Tsunade sat in the all too familiar pose with her elbows on the desk and hands clasped before her face. One could almost see a thousand different thoughts flying through her head as she tried to find the best way to approach the current situation.

The air was filled with tension as they all waited anxiously for Tsunade to make her decision. Sasuke and Kichi seemed to be the only two unaffected by the long silence and heavy gaze of the Hokage, which was odd seeing as they were the two who would affected the most by her decision. But then again very little could affect Kichi in her current deep slumber. Finally, Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a sigh, signally that she had come to a decision at last.

"No matter how we approach this situation, you're going to have to go to trail, Uchiha-san," Tsunade said. "Of course it won't be any ordinary trail. It'll be a trail before the Council and not a group of your peers. This will have its advantages and disadvantages. The Council will look at things more logically and hopefully be less likely to get into an emotional frenzy. Though to be honest, there are a few members of the Council that worry me. They came in early this morning when they heard of your arrival demanding an immediate execution. I managed to calm them down but they will probably cause some big problems in the future."

"The Council is also is more likely to recognize the significance of you being the last of the Uchihas, though they will be less inclined to sympathize with your tragic past." Tsunade continued. "There is a possibility they may decide to let you ensure the continuation of your clan before executing you."

"Hold your tongue Naruto!" Tsunade demanded when the blonde made a move to protest the idea of his long time rival and friend being executed. "I'm simply stating a possibility."

Naruto grudgingly sunk back down into his chair and glared at Tsunade but didn't try to interrupt again.

"As I was saying," Tsunade continued. "The Council isn't going to take this lightly but I do think the fact that you helped to completely destroy one of Konoha's enemies and seriously wounded another and gave yourself up willing will be three very good factors in your favor. Then of course there is Kichi. Everything you've done to help her will be a testament of your very nature. If you play your cards right then you should have a good chance. But you have to watch your temper. Just one second of anger in response to anything could cripple your case."

"I will try to remember that." Sasuke said with a respectful nod.

"You're going to have to do better than try if you want to get out of this in one piece." Tsunade said. "This isn't the same as the battlefield you're used to fighting in. Your strength and skills mean nothing in the courtroom except in the context of what you did with them."

"Then it's a good thing you're going to be helping him! Right Baa-chan?" Naruto exclaimed as he leapt to his feet with gusto. "I bet you know all about this boring stuff."

"Naruto." Tsunade growled darkly at the nickname Naruto still persisted in using for her. "I'm not going to be helping him, at least not directly."

"WHAT?" Both Naruto and Sakura exclaimed in shock.

"But Tsunade-sama-" Sakura started to protest but was cut off.

"In this type of trial the Hokage always acts as a mediator over the proceedings." Tsunade explained. "I have to remain impartial no matter which side I may sympathize with."

"But if you don't represent Sasuke-kun, then who will?" Sakura asked. "None of us understand these sorts of proceedings and all of our friends are shinobi."

"Not to worry, I know a man who is excellent at things such as this." Tsunade said. "His name is Orshiro Kisho and he's a prominent lawyer from the capital city. In fact, I've already sent for him and he should be here within the next few days."

"Is he any good?" Naruto asked only to get bonked on the head by Sakura.

"Baka!" She exclaimed. "What part of the phrase 'PROMINENT lawyer from the CAPITAL' do you not understand?"

"Dope." Sasuke added for good measure.

"OI!" Naruto protested at being ganged up on by his two team mates.

Tsunade started to interrupt them but on second thought, she decided to let them argue for a little while longer. They looked so happy and alive in that moment that she didn't have the heart to interrupt just yet. They wouldn't get moments like this in the weeks to come. And there was always a possibility that they may never get a chance like this again. So after several minutes of watching them argue heatedly back and forth, Tsunade finally interrupted.

"If you three are through, then I think we have more important things to worry about." Tsunade called over their bickering. They settled down almost immediately with ashamed looks on their faces. Well, Sakura and Naruto looked ashamed but Sasuke just stared forward blankly in the classic Uchiha fashion.

"Finally," Tsunade sighed once they had settled down. "Now with Orshiro-san not being a native of Konoha he will need someone to act as his assistant during the duration of the trial. Ideally it would be someone with extensive knowledge of Konoha's laws both written and cultural and someone sympathetic to Sasuke's cause, which of course limits our choices."

"What about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura suggested.

"He would be ideal but there's a chance he may be called as a character witness so he can't do it." Tsunade explained. "Therefore both you and Naruto are automatically eliminated, though I'd let Orshiro-san go it alone before I would assign Naruto to help him."

"Oi!" Naruto protested again only to be silenced by a glare from Tsunade.

"Now we have to find someone else to assist Orshiro-san." Tsunade continued as if there had been no interruption. "I would suggest Jiyaira but he's off on one of his "research" missions with no way to get word to him. There's Iruka but then again there's a slim chance that he could be called as a witness. Out of your comrades, Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata probably have a fairly decent grasp on the laws and such but I doubt Hiashi-san will allow either of them to get involved into something so politically volatile no matter what his opinions may be on the matter. Then of course there's Shikamaru, though I don't know how receptive he'll be to the idea but you can ask him. The decision is up to him though; I won't force him to do it."

Sakura couldn't help but groan inwardly. She remembered how Shikamaru had been after the Sasuke retrieval mission and she knew it would take some serious convincing to get his help if they could convince him at all. She had a couple of good puppy-dog faces in her arsenal and she could always promise to help him get a date with Ino. If that didn't work then she knew that the promise that both she and Naruto would annoy him until the end of time would make him seriously think it over. Everyone who was anyone knew that she and Naruto- especially Naruto- could be annoying as hell when they put their mind to it.

"Don't worry Baa-chan! We'll get him to do it!" Naruto's enthusiastic proclamation interrupted her thoughts. She couldn't help but smile at his energy and passion. If Naruto said he would do something, he would. That was just a fact of life sort of like the sky being blue, the grass being green and Sasuke being drop dead gorgeous.

Tsunade smiled and shook her head at the blonde ninja's enthusiasm before becoming serious once more.

"I'm afraid that's all we can do for now." Tsunade said with a sigh. "Aside from deciding what to do with Kichi while Uchiha-san is in prison."

"It would best if she staid with Sakura." Sasuke said without hesitation. "She'll be quicker to trust Sakura." At this comment everyone in the room turned to look at her with expectant eyes. Well everyone but Sasuke that is, because he already knew what her answer would be. That girl just couldn't say no to him. But then again he was Uchiha Sasuke and no girl could say no to him.

"Of course I'll take care of her." Sakura answered quietly. "I wouldn't let her stay with anyone else."

"Good." Tsunade agreed. "Sakura, why don't you escort Uchiha-san back to his cell so that you two can have a chance to talk about the arrangements?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Sakura replied promptly.

"Kichi can stay here until you're done." Tsunade said. "You're excused now. Naruto, you stay."

With that both Sakura and Sasuke stood to their feet after carefully laying Kichi across the chairs and bowed to the Hokage before leaving the room escorted by a group of Anbu guards. There was a moment of silence after the door had closed behind them before Naruto leapt to his feet.

"Why do I have to stay behind?" Naruto whined.

"Because they deserve some alone time." Tsunade said as she stretched her cramped muscles. "And I need you to look after the kid while I fill out these papers."

"Ah, man!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade growled. "She's asleep. How hard can be to look after a sleeping child?"

"But I don't know what to do with kids!" He continued to whine.

"Just deal with it." Tsunade mumbled tiredly.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke were taking their time getting him back to his cell. They walked silently for a while, enjoying the pleasant silence and each others' presence while choosing to ignore the guards that kept a safe but respectful distance behind them.

"She enjoys long baths." Sasuke stated breaking the silence.

"Wha?" Sakura blinked in confusion.

"Kichi enjoys long baths." Sasuke repeated in his usual emotionless voice. "They help relax her."

"Oh, I see." Sakura said. "I'll try to remember that. Is there anything else I should know?"

"She likes stories about all the people here." Sasuke continued. "You might tell her a few stories about things that happened while I was away to help her feel more comfortable. And I think she'd enjoy seeing the village once she settles in."

"Of course." Sakura beamed. "I'd be happy to show her around and tell her about all the times I kicked Naruto's butt!"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the mental image of Naruto sent flying through the air by a very angry Sakura.

"I'd like to hear those stories too some day." Sasuke said causing Sakura to blush prettily. She may be five years older and much more mature but she never failed to blush at anything that resembled a compliment coming from the youngest Uchiha.

"I'll even bring her by to see you some time." Sakura tactfully changed the subject to hide her own embarrassment.

"No." Sasuke countered harshly causing Sakura to jump in shock. Her greens eyes widened and stared at Sasuke with a look that clearly said his abrupt attitude had hurt her feelings. Sasuke sighed and willed his face to relax and look less hostile.

"Sakura. Think about it." Sasuke stated calmly this time. "She spent most of her life caged up in cell so one can only imagine how she would react if she saw me in one."

"Oh…" Sakura gaped as realization dawned upon her. "I understand. I'll talk to Tsunade-sama and see if some sort different arrangement can be made."

Sasuke probably would have thanked her if there hadn't been a host of men standing around them so instead he simply nodded his thanks and continued walking. He had an image to keep up and he was already hurting it with all the talking, che.

When they got to his cell they stopped and stood just outside the door as an awkward silence settled in.

"Goodbye Sakura," Sasuke said quietly in his calm voice.

"Goodbye Sasuke-kun." Sakura answered sadly as Sasuke turned to enter his prison cell.

"And don't worry." She called out to him before he could get completely inside. "You'll be out of here in no time and telling Kichi stories yourself."

"Sakura." Sasuke paused in mid motion with his back still toward her. "You know there's a very good chance that may never happen."

"What?" Sakura stared at his back dumbfounded.

"If things don't go well, then I would like you to look after-"

In a flash, Sakura had whipped Sasuke around with one hand and clamped her other over his mouth effectively shutting him up.

"Don't even thing about it." Sakura hissed her eyes dancing with a fire that caught Sasuke completely by surprise. "You ARE going to get out of this. You ARE going to come home to me and Kichi. And you ARE going to remain positive throughout this entire thing even if it kills you! You got it Uchiha?!?"

Unfortunately Sasuke could only stare dumbfounded at the woman in front of him in disbelief. Where was the little girl who used to swoon at the very sight of him and cry if he so much as sneered in her direction? Not that he minded the change; this new assertive Sakura was kind of turning him on.

"Well I think you get the point." Sakura stated stepping back as she realized what she had just done. "I better be getting back to the Hokage's office."

This time it was Sasuke's turn to catch Sakura's arm and whip her around as she tried to leave, pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Sakura nearly collapsed at the shear enormity of the passion contained in just this one kiss but Sasuke's steady arm around her waist kept her on her feet.

Sasuke slowly pulled back, allowing his warm breath to tickle Sakura's face as her consciousness tried desperately to surface in the pool of bliss that it was drowning in. When she did manage to compose herself somewhat, she found herself staring up into warm dark eyes that gazed down at her with a look was simply indescribable in any language.

"Wow." Was all Sakura's muddled brain could come up with. This alone was enough to make Sasuke smirk proudly.

"Just call it my way of saying I'm glad you're on my side." He bent down and whispered into her ear, the sensation sending shivers up and down her spine. Sakura started to respond but was interrupted when one of the guards approached her from behind.

"Haruno-san, Hokage-sama wishes you to return to her office immediately." The tall ninja looked apologetic and slightly embarrassed at interrupting their private moment and quickly backed away once his message was delivered.

Sakura sighed sadly and turned to give Sasuke one last smile. He didn't say anything when she removed herself from his arms and moved out of the way so the guards could secure his cell. He didn't say a word as she slowly backed out of the room, her eyes never leaving his. He didn't say anything when the door closed on her bright green eyes and the room became quiet and cold. He didn't say anything because he didn't need to; his eyes said it all.

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**Ne? Was it worth the wait? I sure hope so! **

**Let me know what you think!**

**And for those who were wondering; Kisho means one who knows his own mind while I have no idea waht Orshiro means, it's just a semi-popular Japanese family name that I liked.**

**FrillingFreak**


	10. Worried Much?

**Hey everybody! I'M BACK! Sorry it took soo long! I actually planned on having this out a week or so earlier but family and computer problems kept me away. But now I'm back! WOOT! This chappie isnt' as long as I intended and doesn't have much action but I wanted to put something out for you soo badly that I cut it a bit short. Well, it's not actually that short but it's not as long as I intended. **

**In completely unrelated news: I'M AN AUNTIE NOW!! GAH! I'm soo happy I could explode! I plan on flying down to see the little baby boo later this summer and I can't wait! WEEEE! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do have a really cute niece!**

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**CHAPTER 10**

**Worried Much?**

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Sakura sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day as she trudged toward her apartment building. Cradled gently in her arms was a sleeping Kichi. Sakura was astounded at how light the little girl was and determined then and there to help bulk her up during her stay at her home.

Beside her, Naruto walked in silence- a state that was new for the usually over-active blonde. Slung over his back were the two bags Kichi had arrived with earlier that day though Sakura had to admit that the time had seemed a lot longer than just a few hours since she had arrived.

The slowly setting evening sun and her grumbling stomach told Sakura that it was around supper time. She didn't think that Kichi would be waking up any time soon so it would be super for one again tonight. But tomorrow morning would be a whole other story. She had no idea what she was going to tell Kichi when she finally woke up.

Sakura wasn't exactly an expert on how to handle children. The only time she had to deal with them was during her rare shifts in the civilian part of the hospital. She just hoped and prayed that Kichi didn't freak out and run off when she woke up in a strange place with no Sasuke around to calm her down.

"_What if she tries to run away?"_ Sakura thought in a panic. _"If she's as fast as Sasuke claims then there's no way I could catch her."_

Before Sakura had enough time to work herself into a mental frenzy, Kichi silenced her raging thoughts by snuggling deeper into the crook of her neck followed by sleepy mumblings. The simple gesture brought a soft smile to Sakura's face and she couldn't help but think that things would be alright.

When they reached her apartment, Sakura had to perform a juggling act in order to get her keys out because there was no way she was going to let Naruto dig around in her pockets even if he was over his childhood crush.

"Took you long enough." Naruto mumbled when she finally retrieved the keys from her pocket and opened the door. In return she gave him a look that would have sent Orochimaru running for the hills had he been alive to see it. It sure had Naruto shaking in his pants, Believe It!

It took Sakura less than a minute to get the sleeping Kichi tucked into her bed, which seemed gigantic when compared to Kichi's small frame. When Sakura had first laid eyes on Kichi in the Hokage's office she couldn't help but notice how small and fragile she was, but now she seemed even more vulnerable than before. No wonder Sasuke had wanted to protect her so badly, just looking at her would make anyone's paternal instincts kick in.

Out in the living area, Naruto was sitting on the edge of the couch bouncing a small ball off the wall as he waited for Sakura to finish. When she emerged from the room, he stopped what he was doing and turned to his attention to her in a manner that clearly said he wasn't leaving until they had a nice little chat.

If Sakura hadn't been so tired she probably would have laughed the "fatherly" look Naruto was trying to give her, but at the moment she chose to let it slide and took a seat beside him.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto started softly. "Are you sure you're up to this? Taking care of child is a big responsibility."

"It's okay Naruto," Sakura said with a small chuckle. "I think I can manage. Besides I won't be doing it alone now will I?"

"Of course not!" Naruto agreed quickly. "You have me to help you out!"

"Besides, I don't think she's going to be that much trouble." Sakura continued. "After all Sasuke's been taking care of her for some time now without any problems and he's not exactly the ideal parent." Naruto let out a low chuckle as a mental image of "mommy" Sasuke danced around his head with an apron and broom.

"What I'm worried about is what to tell her when she wakes up." Sakura confessed. "I mean what if she freaks out and runs off? What if she doesn't trust me? I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her. And of course Sasuke would be furious—"

"Sakura!" Naruto called out to stop her worried tirade. "Slow down. It's going to be okay."

"I know." Sakura murmured softly, her brow creased with worry. Naruto sighed and draped his arm around Sakura's shoulders in a comforting manner.

"You don't have to be strong ALL the time Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a small smile as he rubbed comforting circles in her back. "It's alright to depend on other people. You have lots of friends who will be more than willing to help you with whatever you need."

"But I have to be strong for Sasuke," Sakura protested. "You know how he is. If he doesn't have someone to help keep his spirits up he'll get all depressed and angsty and think the world is out to get him."

"But Sasuke isn't here right now." Naruto pointed out. "And everyone needs a moment of vulnerability, even you."

"Naruto, I'm not _vulnerable._"

"Then why are you crying?"

Any further protest Sakura might have had died on her lips as she stared back into Naruto's blue eyes. Her hand slowly rose to touch her cheek only to find that it was indeed wet with tears that she hadn't realized she'd shed. It was as if this sudden realization was the final breaking point and the next thing Sakura knew, she was sobbing hysterically in Naruto's arms. She hadn't even realized how much she had just wanted to break down and cry until it the flood gates were already open and pouring. _So much for being strong for Sasuke._

Naruto did the best he could to comfort her by rubbing her back and whispering nonsensical words of comfort into her hair. It wasn't something he was used to seeing as he'd never been comforted much himself but he figured he'd just go with his gut instincts and everything would be okay.

"See," Naruto said with a slight grin when Sakura finally calmed down enough to pull away from Naruto's bear hug and wipe her eyes. "Even someone as strong and independent as you needs to vent occasionally."

"What about you Naruto?" Sakura said. "I haven't seen you squalling over the fact that our former team-mate and your self-proclaimed rival and best friend may be sentenced to death in the near future?"

"Just wait until tomorrow morning when this all finally sinks in, then they'll have to lock ME up to keep me from tearing the whole forest down." Naruto said with a snort.

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's completely honest statement. No matter how down she was, Naruto always had the ability to cheer her up; whether it was on purpose or not. She didn't know how she would have survived these past years without Sasuke if it hadn't been for Naruto's friendship and cheer.

"Well instead of destroying the defenseless trees, why don't you come over and help me do some shopping?" Sakura asked innocently.

"S-shopping???" Naruto stuttered nervously. Sakura had just uttered a word that struck fear into the hearts of all members of the male species and had them begging for mercy.

"I need to get some groceries and Kichi is NOT going to walk around in those rags any more if I have anything to say about it!" Sakura huffed.

"But me? Shopping? Sakura-chan!!" Naruto whined.

"Oi! What happened to the "being there for me" stuff you were spouting earlier?" Sakura's eyes narrowed in a silent warning that Naruto knew all to well. Narrowed eyes were followed by yelling and then hitting. And being hit by Sakura hurt as much as being hit by… well by the 5th Hokage and that hurt pretty darn-tooting much.

"Of course, I'd love to go Sakura-chan!" Naruto covered quickly. "I was just kidding earlier!"

"Good." And like that, Sakura went from scowling to smiling in the blink of an eye. "I didn't think you'd let me down."

_You didn't exactly give me a choice._ Naruto thought but wisely kept to himself. Any further conversation on the subject was immediately put aside when Naruto's stomach let out a ferocious growl that could have rivaled a mountain loin.

"Hungry Naruto?" Sakura asked with an amused grin.

"Just a bit." Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I was going to fix myself a little something to eat, would you like something too?"

"WA! I'd love some of your food Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted energetically only to get bopped on the head by Sakura.

"Baka! Be quiet, Kichi's asleep!" Sakura hissed in warning.

"Gomen," Naruto cringed as he scooted out of Sakura's reach. He didn't want her to change her mind about feeding him. Sakura may not be a gourmet chef but her home cooked food was better than the moldy stuff that was waiting for him at home.

"Well, come on," Sakura motioned for him to follow her as she got up and headed toward the kitchen. "You can help me chop."

"Now chopping is something I can do." The blonde ninja exclaimed cheerfully albeit quietly. He wasn't about to get himself hit on the head again. He may be slow but he's not a complete idiot, Believe It!

It was late by the time Naruto finally left Sakura's apartment with a reluctant promise to return the next morning. When the door closed behind him, it was like all the energy she had left in her body drained leaving her feeling completely empty. She just barely remembered to put the dirty dishes in the sink before throwing on her pajamas, unrolling her old futon on the bedroom floor, and crawling in.

Unfortunately sleep eluded her even though her body and mind screamed for rest. She found her self staring at the outline of Kichi's sleeping form in the dim moonlight that peaked through a crack in the curtains as a million questions swam in her head.

What would tomorrow bring? Would Kichi accept and trust her? And what was Sakura going to do with Kichi while Sasuke was on trial? She didn't exactly have a lot of experience taking long term care of anyone, especially a child. Would she be forced to cut back on her work hours, or even quit all together? No, there had to be a way to take care of Kichi and still work. So maybe she wouldn't be able to go on missions anytime soon but it's not like she wanted to be sent off while Sasuke was on trail and needed her support. Surely her friends would step up and help out. She knew Naruto would but she wasn't sure about everyone else. Surely they wouldn't be so low as to begrudge Kichi any hard feelings they still had against Sasuke.

For now she would just be content with getting to know Kichi better and allowing the young girl to grow comfortable around her. For starters she would take her out tomorrow and show her the village while they shopped. She had no doubt that Kichi would be anxious to see the town where Sasuke grew up with her own eyes. And maybe they would even meet some of her fellow shinobi and friends while out and Kichi could finally meet the people from Sasuke's stories.

Sakura slowly began to drift off, as she began to think of all the places and things she could show Kichi the next day. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. Now if only Naruto would remember to get up on time and not keep her waiting. That boy had been hanging around Kakashi for way too long.

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**Like I said earlier; not much action but a chapter is a chapter so no complaining! The next chapter will out and about around Konoha with little Kichi-chan! I can't wait to introduce her to some more characters! WEE!**

**Don't expect things to get extremely action packed because this story does sort of center around Sasuke's trail (which I will try to make as interesting as I possibly can) and trails aren't that thrilling. Oh, and if anybody is good with legal system type stuff I NEED YOU! I don't know nothing and I could use some help.**

**PS: Just in case someone noticed and was wondering, yes I was making fun of the english version of Naruto. That "Believe It!" crap gets on my nerves. And the fact that it's all over fanfiction now because of Naruto's increased popularity is annoying too. Not that I dislike stories just because of that or look down on the authors or anything like that. I understand that it's what they're used to hearing so that's why they use it. The english version is just annoying in general, especially when you're used to the original w/ subtitles, though I'm glad they brought it over for other people to enjoy. (though did they have to butcher it soo much??) But I should stop ranting now... yeah**

**REVIEW!!!**

**FrillingFreak**


	11. Out and About

**Hello my friends and readers! It's been a LONG time! I want to thank everyone who's been so understanding in my abscence. I've missed you guys terribly but I needed the break for reasons that are stated in my profile. But I'm back now. Or at least half-way back. I doubt I'll be updating as often as I used to but I'm not going to make you wait almost a year again. Things are still difficult and hectic but I'm trying to manage everything. **

**PS: If you sent me a note or email over say the past year or so, I probably didn't get it because I didn't check my email for a really, really long time and had over 600 emails when I finally did so I just deleted them all the other day. If you need to resend something feel free to do so. I just couldn't handle sifting through all those emails.**

**And without further ado, on with the story!**

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**Chapter 11**

**Out and about**

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The next morning, Sakura awoke to the dreaded sound of her alarm clock wailing and immediately began flailing about in an attempt to find the dreaded machine and smash it to bits. Then as quickly as the noise had begun, it stopped and Sakura sank back onto the bed with a sigh of relief.

Then BAM! She was up in a flash as her ninja instincts took over. She had realized in a second that if she hadn't turned off the alarm then someone else must have. She quickly scanned the room to come face to face to a small girl with big blue eyes. She stared for a minute, confused as to what was going on and why this girl was in her room when the events from the last couple of days slowly filtered back into her memory.

"Kichi," Sakura said with a sigh as she plopped back onto her pillow in relief.

"Good morning Sakura-san." Kichi greeted in her timid voice. "Sorry I scared you."

"It's okay." Sakura reassured her with a sleepy smile. "I just forgot you were there for a second."

With another sigh, Sakura rolled over and hopped out of bed and began to stretch her stiff muscles. As she did, she began to once again worry about how to explain their current situation to Kichi without scaring her.

"Kichi we need to talk," Sakura said as she took a seat next to the dark haired girl on the bed. "about Sasuke and everything that's happening and going to happen."

"About me staying with you until Sasuke-sama can come home?" Kichi asked in her quiet, timid voice that made her sound forever frightened. Her question startled and confused Sakura. Did Sasuke decide to leave out the fact that this kid was a mind reader or something?

"How did you know that?" Sakura asked.

"I woke up last night and heard you talking with Naruto-san" Kichi explained with a small, timid smile. "I wouldn't mind staying with you for a while. It might be… nice."

"We'll have lots of fun." Sakura reassured the young girl. "And before you know it, Sasuke-kun will be free to join us."

"Hai!" Kichi replied with a brighter smile.

"As for today, we have a lot of things to do and not a lot of time. We need to get you some new clothes. And I'll want to show you around a bit so you don't get lost in the future. But first we need to get ourselves cleaned up and ready to go."

As Sakura went through the lest of things that they had to do that day, she began to riffle through all her drawers pulling clothes out for herself and looking for SOMETHING for Kichi to wear that didn't look like she'd pulled it of a trash bin.

_I mean, I know Sasuke was probably busy but couldn't he have found something semi-decent for the girl to wear!? _Sakura huffed to herself.

Finally in a box in the bottom of her closet, Sakura found an old dress her aunt had bought her a couple of years back that she'd never worn but didn't have the heart to throw out. It had just been too _girly_ for Sakura's taste, but her aunt had been so proud of it. After a little more rummaging around, Sakura decided that the dress was probably the smallest thing in her wardrobe.

"I guess this will have to do for now, Kichi-chan." Sakura said as she struggled to dislodge herself from her chaotic closet. "Why don't you hop in the shower and we'll see if we can make this thing fit."

"Hai." Kichi obediently hopped off the bed, took the dress from Sakura and headed for the bathroom.

"I'll be fixing breakfast while you do that." Sakura called over her shoulder as she headed toward the kitchen. "I hope you like pancakes!"

"Hai!" Was the muffled reply from the bathroom.

"That girl has been around Sasuke way too long. I'm going to have to teach her to speak using something besides monosyllable words or she'll end up like him using only "un" and "ah" ninety percent of the time." Sakura grumbled.

While Kichi took her shower, Sakura whipped up a quick batch of pancakes making sure to have enough for Naruto when he showed up. Which meant she and Kichi should eat up quickly before he got there and made all the food disappear. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the image of Naruto scarfing down everything in sight.

A noise behind her caused Sakura to turn around. There stood Kichi with dripping wet hair and wearing a dress that made it look like _she_ had shrunk in the wash and not her clothes. The lilac material with small pink flowers sagged on her small body and dragged on the floor.

"Oh my, that's not going to work." Sakura motioned for Kichi to come closer so she could assess the situation better.

"Maybe we could tie it up?" Kichi offered a suggestion softly.

"Or we could just cut off some of the extra material, tie the sleeves back, and call it good!" Sakura said after she had examined the dress.

"Oh no!" Kichi exclaimed. "You can't cut up your pretty dress for me!"

"Don't worry about it Kichi," Sakura reassured her. "It's too small for me to wear anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wanted to keep it." Sakura answered softly.

"Okay." Kichi mumbled through a mouthful of her bottom lip.

It only took Sakura a few minutes to snip off the excess material and use some of her hair ribbons to tie back the sleeves. When she was done, she stood back to admire her work.

"It's not too bad." She admitted. "It's definitely better than what you were wearing. Besides, it's just for today."

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Kichi said with a polite bow.

"No need for all that. It wasn't that big of a deal." Sakura was amazed at how compliant this girl was. One would have thought Sakura had given her a silk dress not a cut up hand-me-down.

Sakura was snapped out of her revere by a low grumble. Her first thought was a furred intruder until she saw the embarrassed look on Kichi's face.

"It sounds like somebody is a little hungry." Sakura said with a smile. "I think I have just the thing to fix that."

Sakura gently nudged Kichi in the direction of the table and quickly fixed her a plate of pancakes and placed them before the dark haired girl.

"Eat up before Naruto gets here and eats them for you." Sakura said, eyes laughing. Kichi's eyes grew wide and immediately began to devour the food in front of her.

_She's just so simple and sweet_. Sakura thought to herself as she went about making herself a plate.

They ate in silence for the most part, each enjoying the food and Sakura the quiet before what was probably going to be a very hectic day.

About the time they were finishing their breakfast, there was a loud, frantic, knock at the door.

"That will be Naruto." Sakura rose to her feet to go to the door. "And I bet he smells the food through the door."

Kichi giggled softly as Sakura disappeared into the other room. Sure enough, Sakura found one drooling Uzumaki Naruto on the other side of her door.

"Ma, ma Sakura-chan, what smells so gooood?" As he talked, Naruto began inching forward trying to find a way to get around Sakura and into the apartment.

"Pancakes." Sakura sighed. Naruto was just too predictable. "They're on the kitchen counter and-"

"Woohoo!" Naruto flew past Sakura and into the kitchen before she could even finish her sentence.

"Why do I feel so used?" Sakura muttered as she trudged after into the kitchen. By the time she got there, Naruto had already piled his plate with as many pancakes as he could fit on it and was devouring them at a rate that only a vacuum cleaner could appreciate.

Poor Kichi was still sitting at the table watching him with wide eyes. When she saw Sakura in the door way, she gave her a look that clearly asked; "What is this?"

Sakura shook her head and walked over to Naruto promptly bopped him on the back of the head.

"Chew first and then swallow baka."

"Hai," Naruto grinned sheepishly and began eating at a _slightly_ slower pace.

Sakura sighed in defeat and began cleaning up her and Kichi's plates and all the pans and things she had used to cook with.

When she had finished, she turned back to the table to find Kichi still watching Naruto with a look of mixed awe and horror as he finished the last of his pancakes with great gusto.

"That was great Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he pumped his fist into the air.

"Naruto-san eats really, really fast." Kichi uttered with amazement.

"KICHI-CHAN!" Naruto bellowed when he noticed the small girl for first time. "Ohayou!"

"Naruto! There's no need to yell, she's only a few feet away from you!" Sakura scolded.

"Gomen." Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I was just excited to see her."

"Kichi is happy to see Naruto-san too." Kichi said with a bright smile that lit up her pale eyes.

"Kawaii." Both Naruto and Sakura sighed at her soft voice and adorable expression. If it weren't for that nasty scar on her cheek, she'd probably the cutest thing in the whole wide world.

_Maybe there's something I can do about that._ Sakura thought to herself as her mind raced through techniques and crèmes that could help reduce the appearance of scars.

"So," Naruto interrupted her thoughts. "What are we doing to day? Training? Ramen?"

"No, baka." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes. "We're taking Kichi shopping for some new clothes and then showing her around the city."

"Oh. Then can we get ramen?"

"How can you think about ramen after eating all those pancakes?"

"It's ramen, Sakura-chan. _Ramen."_

"Why do I even bother asking?" Sakura sighed. "Com on Kichi, let's go before Naruto starts in on his "The Wonders of Ramen" speech."

As they walked through the village, Sakura found herself watching Kichi instead of their surroundings. The young girl gawked at everything around them with wide eyes full of wonder. She alternated between clinging first to Sakura and then to Naruto and then back to Sakura again. Despite her obvious curiosity, she never left the safety of her two companions. Sakura and Naruto pointed out various landmarks as they traveled toward the shopping district and Naruto added little funny stories that had occurred here and there.

When they entered the first store, Sakura thought Kichi's eyes where going to pop out of her head at the sight of all the clothes. It took a bit of coaxing to get her to go further into the store and even more coaxing to get her to try on clothes.

"Oh no." Kichi protested. "These clothes are much too nice for me."

"Nonsense!" Naruto argued. "A cute girl has to wear cute clothes! Right Sakura?"

"Of course. Besides, I'm sure Sasuke would want you to have the best and I won't dress any friend of mine in anything but the best." Sakura agreed.

Kichi frowned but allowed Sakura to lead her to the dressing rooms and help her with the clothes. Several hours later and more than one instance of Sakura having to throw Naruto out of the unmentionable department, they exited the store with multiple bags in tote.

After dropping the bags off at Sakura's apartment and allowing Kichi to change clothes, the headed back into town to have lunch. Much to Sakura's disapproval, Naruto insisted on going to Ichiraku and Kichi happily agreed. Apparently Sasuke had told her about Naruto's favorite eatery too. What _hadn't_ he told the girl?

When they reached Ichiraku, Kichi stopped and stared in awe as if they had brought her to the gates of some great castle or shrine. Sakura could only shake her head in wonder and Naruto eagerly ushered Kichi inside. He even went so far as to help Kichi up onto the stool even though she was perfectly capable of seating herself.

After Naruto prattled off his long order, Sakura placed her and Kichi modest order. Luckily, the older man knew enough aobut people not to question them about the obviously shy girl.

Once their food was served, the ate in realitve silence except for Naruto's loud slurps and noises of approval. About halfway through the meal, a swish of the curtian signaled the entrance of another group of customers.

"Oi! Naruto." A gruff voice called out causing them to stop and turn around. Behind them stood Kiba and the rest of team 8.

"Kiba!" Naruto greated him eagerly as he hopped up to great his friends. "Join us."

"Konichiwa Sakura-san, N-Naruto-san." Hinata greated quietly as they took their seats.

"Konichiwa mina-san." Sakura greated in return. "Did you just get back from a mission?"

"Hai." The shy Huyyga responded just as Kiba launched into an enthusiastic account of their journey to which Naruto listened with great interest. The other three exchanged a few pleasantries but for the most part allowed their two boustrious team mates to do all the talking.

Sakura spent the next few minutes watching Kichi as she peaked cautiously from one new comer to the next. Hinata, in turn, stole curious glances at the girl between Naruto and Sakura.

"Would you like me to introduce you?" Sakura leaned over and whispered in Kichi's ear.

"Oh, I know who they are." Kichi replied. "That's Aburame Shino, Huyyga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba."

At the sound of their names coming from a complete stranger, team 8's attention was immediately focused on the dark haired girl. When she found herself the new center of attention, Kichi turned a pretty shade of pink and ducked to hide behind a curtian of of long hair.

"Who's the kid?" Kiba asked as he peered around Naruto at her.

"This is Kichi, a new friend." Sakura explained. "She's been traveling with Sasuke-kun for a while now and came back to Konoha with him."

To an observer, it probably looked like Sakura had just told them that aliens had landed and she was their long lost princess. (or something along those lines)

"Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke?" Kiba asked with disbelief. "This kid was traveling with _him_?"

"Yup!" Naruto replied with a grin at the look on Kiba's face.

"WHY?"

"Apparantly she likes him." Naruto snickered.

"Are we talking about the same Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"The chicken-butt haired, cold hearted, revenge obssessed bastard who betrayed the village?"

"The very one."

"Oh…"

Like a rusted over hinge that causes a door to open and shut at an agonizingly slow rate, all three heads slowly turned back to gape at the small blue-eyed child.

"Kichi likes Sasuke-sama." She stated with such innocence and pride that any doubts they had about her quickly melted away. Sakura enjoyed watching the look on her friend's faces as the young girl worked her special brand of magic and wormed her way into their hearts with just a look.

"Sasuke used to tell Kichi stories about his life here in Konoha and all of us." Sakura explained. "She heard the stories so many times that she knows everybody by description. She's been very excited to have the chance to meet everyone."

There was an awkward moment of silence as they tried to process all this information. Sakura had to admit that it was hard and a bit creepy to imagine Sasuke telling anyone a bed time story. Her imagination was good but not that good.

"Welcome to Konoha, Kichi-san." Hinata's soft voice interrupted her thoughts as she greated Kichi with a soft smile.

"Arigito and _hajimemashite__,_ Hinata-san." Kichi greated in return with an equally sweet smile. Hinata's acceptance of the girl was apparently enough to satsify her team mates because they shrugged and went back to their food.

"We just finished shopping for new clothes and now we're going to show Kichi around Konoha." Sakura informed them. "We want Kichi to see the place she's heard soo much about."

"Plus we want everybody to meet her!" Naruto added with a grin.

"Well have fun." Kiba mumbled around a mouthful of ramen.

"It was nice to meet you, Kichi-san." Hinata called as they exited the tiny stand. Kichi waved shyly back and then glued herself to Sakura. It was obvious that meeting new people had both excited her and made her nervous at the same time.

Today was going to be an interesting day if Naruto insisted on introducing Kichi to everyone they knew and Kichi insisted on hding behind Sakura the entire time.

The next hour was spent showing Kichi the various sites of Konoha accompanied by newer stories of its inhabitants. Kichi was completely enthralled in everything around her and every little detail they had to tell her. Every few minutes she would tug softly on Sakura's shirt with a question about something or other that she saw. If Naruto heard her question, he jumped to give an answer- usually a wrong answer that Sakura had to correct. Kichi didn't seem to mind their constant back and forth bickering and simply listened with a smile.

By late afternoon, they neared the larger training grounds and Sakura could tell Naruto was raring to show off his skills for Kichi. Unfortunately, Naruto's plans would have to be put on hold because the training grounds were currently occupied.

Team Gai was in the middle of an intense training session and Sakura would have gladly turned back and let them be but Kichi stopped dead in her tracks and stared at them as if Kami himself had appeared before her.

Naruto saw Kichi's expression before Sakura had a chance to act and began hollering and waving at the four shinobi. Sakura could have hit Naroto for his stupidity but settled for a mumbled rant and a death glare shot in the blonde's direction.

As expected, team Gai stopped what they were doing and turned to see who was making all the noise which caused Kichi the skitter behind Sakura's protective presence.

At the sight of Naruto and his beloved "Sakura-chan," Lee rushed over to greet them with all the mannerisms his "youth" required. Gai followed closely behind, greeting the students of his most "hip" rival in a similar fashion (minus the declarations of love for Sakura). Tenten and Neji follow at a more liesurely rate and mostly out of boredem and curiosity.

Sakura could feel Kichi trembling behind her and felt sorry for the shy girl who was probably on people over load by now.

"So what brings you this way Naruto-san, Sakura-chan?" Lee inquired once his initial greetings were over.

"We were showing a new friend around town and thought we'd stop and introduce her to to you." Naruto explained.

"Who?" Lee and Gai asked simultaneously as they peered around lookin gfor the new friend. They caught sight of a small hand clutching Sakura's shirt and leaned forward to investigate. Sakura reached behind her and gave Kichi a gentle push to encourage her to come out of hiding.

"Kichi-chan this Lee-kun, Gai-san, Neji-san, and Tenten-san." Sakura said softly as she waited to see if Kichi could muster the courage to greet them.

She shly peeked out from behind Sakura, eyes wide as she took in the sight of Lee and Gai staring inquisitively down at her. She looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights with her big eyes and standing frozen like a statue. But she wasn't completely frozen, Sakura could feel her shaking slightly as her hands clenched and unclenched Sakura's shirt. Luckily Sasuke had mentioned her obssession with the dynamic duo or Sakura would have thought the younger girl was terrified of them.

"Is that the girl that came back with the Uchiha?" Neji asked, breaking the moment.

"How did you know about that?" Naruto asked. "She only got here yesterday."

I was at the Hokage tower yesterday and overheard some of the shinobi talking about it.." Neji explained, expression blank as usual.

"Oh…."

"Naruoto, if you keep your mouth open like that, you're going to start catching bugs in it." Sakura warned the wide mouthed blonde. "And to answer you question Neji-san, yes. This is Kichi. She's been traveling with Sasuke for the last couple of years."

"Then why isn't she in jail with him?" He asked.

"Because she hasn't done anything wrong and she isn't in the _condition_ to be put in a place like that." Sakura hissed dangerously when she felt Kichi tense behind her. Luckily, Neji dropped the subject. Sakura couldn't tell if it was because of the venomous look she gave him or because Tenten choose that exact moment to pinch the crap out of him. Either way, he kept his mouth shut and Sakura was happy.

Kichi relaxed a bit but Sakura could tell her "flight" response was screaming at her. Luckily, Naruto was there to break the uncomfortable moments (or make them worse in some cases).

"Kichi's been wanting to met you guys." Naruto said to Gai and Lee. "Apparently she's got an affinity for speed and she's been told you two were some of the resident experts what with your extreme training and all."

"Is that so?" Gai beamed down at her. "Then you'll have to come train with us some time!!"

"Really?" Kichi spoke for the first time since their meeting.

"Of course!" We're actually doing speed training later this week!" Gai exclaimed happily.

"Awesome! We'll bring Kichi back and join you." Naruto agreed readily.

"IF Kichi wants to." Sakura added quickly with a glance at said girl.

They said their goodbyes soon after that and headed back into town. Lee stood waving frantically was they walked away and probably kept waving even after they disappeared from sight.

"So what do you think of Gai and Lee?" Sakura asked after a minute or two of silence.

"They asked me to train with them." Kichi whispered in disbelief.

"Yes they did." Sakura stroked the girl's dark hair softly. "But it's up to you whether or not you go."

"I don't' know…" Kichi trailed off thoughtfully. "Will you and Naruto-san be there?"

Sakura looked down into a set of big blue eyes filled with slight fear and trepidation.

"Of course we'll be there!" Naruto voiced from the path ahead of them. He had stopped and turned around to face them with his hands on his hips and head held high. "You know I'm always up for training!"

"Then that's settled. We'll set up a training session with them for later this week." Sakura smiled softly down at Kichi.

"But tomorrow I have a little surprise for you." Naruto said with a smile and he continued walking backwards ahead of them.

"What?" Sakura looked at him expectantly. "You didn't tell me anything about a surprise!"

"Well it's not really a surprise and it's not really from me." He admitted sheepishly.

"Well what is it?" Sakura asked in frustration.

"Ne, I got news from Baa-chan this morning before I left for your place that we can bring Kichi to see Sasuke tomorrow."

"WHAT?" Sakura screeched. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"I was planning on it! I swear!" Naruto threw up his hands in self defense and scooted away from the seething Sakrua. "But I was distracted by the pancakes!"

Sakura looked about ready to pounce on the poor boy when Kichi's soft voice stopped her.

"I get to see Sasuke-sama?" She asked excitedly. "Really?"

"Hai!" Naruto beamed. Much to both his and Sakura's surprise, the young girl responded by embracing Naruto in a tight hug.

"Thank you Naruto-san!" She grinned happily up at him from her position wrapped around his waist causing Naruto to do a very good impression of Huyyga Hinata and turn bright red.

"W-well it wasn't really me who did it." Naruto stammered. Sakura rolled her eyes and decided it was best to save him before he melted into a puddle of goo, bright red goo.

"This is wonderful news Kichi-san." Sakura said with a bright smile as she offered her hand to Kichi who readily took it. "I guess we better head back so we'll have plenty of energy for tomorrow."

"Hai Sakura-san!" Kichi agreed with a grin and a nod. Sakura and Naruto couldn't help but wonder and the way Kichi's face lit up at just the idea of getting to see Sasuke.

_But I suppose it makes sense seeing as he's probably the only person in the world that she can remember ever caring about her_. She looked down at the small girl who was smiling with a brightness that rivaled that of the sun. _He must be the world to her._

She glanced over at Naruto who was chatting away. Someone who didn't know Naruto well would have believed that he didn't have a care in the world, but Sakura had know Naruto for a long time and probably knew him better than most people and she could tell he was far from sunshine and rainbows. He was probably thinking the same thing that she was.

Sasuke's life wasn't the only thing on line during the upcoming trail.

**WOOT! I made this chapter extra long to make up for all the time I made you wait. I could have made it longer but I thought it would get sort of repetative with Kichi meeting EVERYBODY. I'm not very happy with the writing style but I figure it'll take me a while to get back into the groove after such a long break.**

**Please let me hear from you! I miss all of you!**

**FrillingFreak**


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